


Sugar

by imawarlock



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: ;), Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Crossdressing, Daddy Kink, Docking, Gags, Happy Ending, M/M, Marriage, Masturbation, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Phone Sex, Spanking, boyfriend shirt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2016-02-06
Packaged: 2018-04-06 12:48:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 101,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4222293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imawarlock/pseuds/imawarlock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi posted an ad on craigslist in the personals section. 'tiny twink looking for big-dicked daddy,' it had read. Somehow, he was lucky enough to get Erwin, but it was supposed to just be a hookup. Why can't he get him out of his head?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, welcome to daddy kink hell :) 
> 
> This fic is a continuation/sequel to [this](http://goddamnchou.tumblr.com/post/119879620280/tiny-twink-looking-4-big-dicked-daddy) which I wrote before and posted to tumblr. It would be helpful to read it before you start this (its not too long I promise) for some of the details, but its probably not 100% necessary. Also, there's no mention of it in this first chapter, but without giving too much away, there will be mentions of Alzheimer's disease in this fic. Not in regards to Levi or Erwin, but it will be there so if that upsets anyone you may want to sit this one out! Other than that, enjoy~

_"We should do this again sometime."_

_“....Yeah.”_

_“I’ll call you. Or, how about a text?”_

_“Text.”_

_“Alright, I’ll text you. Take care.”_

What kind of one night stand ended like that, Levi wondered, reminiscing in bed the night after it’d happened. The answer was a one night stand that wasn’t going to just be a one night stand, obviously, or at least, that’s the way it seemed. He found the idea appealing for more than one reason, but still could barely believe he’d gotten so lucky with the guy he’d hooked up with in the first place.

A couple of nights ago, he’d been bored, horny, and unable to sleep. It’d been awhile since he’d gotten laid, and while his fingers and his toys usually did the trick fine, he was starting to crave something more. Posting on craigslist had seemed like the only way to solve his problems at 4:00 AM, so his ‘tiny twink looking 4 big dicked daddy’ ad had gone up.

Immediately, he’d regretted it. The responses that came in were generally revolting and made him question whether a fuck was even worth this at all, until he’d gotten one more surprisingly interesting email from someone named Smith.

_Hello._ It had read. This is in response to your ad. _Are you still looking for someone?_

Levi had bitten his lip when he’d read it, intrigued because it had been so different from all the other messages he’d gotten so far - messages consisting of dick pics where the wrinkly dicks obviously belonged to someone way past his age range, or questions about whether he’d be willing to submit to an enema or wear a bib, or other skeevy, weird shit.

Whoever he was, this guy got points for not immediately grossing him out, so he decided to respond. _send me a pic._

A few minutes later he got one, a standard shot-from-above selfie from some chiseled hunk with blonde hair. He looked to be in his late 30’s or very early 40’s, which just so happened to be exactly what Levi was looking for.

“Jackpot.” He’d thought, taking a picture of his own to send.

_not bad._ He said, attaching it to his reply. _want to meet up?_

_Sure. My place?_

_yeah._

After that they’d scheduled a time and Smith gave Levi his address, and he couldn’t help the daydreams from immediately starting about how it might go, nor the relief he felt from the knowledge that he was finally going to get laid again.

_Oh, one more thing. The guy said a moment later though, interrupting his thoughts. Can I ask your name?_

Levi paused for a moment, wondering if he should give him his real one or not. After all, Smith probably wasn’t _his_ actual name, and well, no matter how positive Levi felt about the situation right now, he had to remember he didn’t know this guy at all. What if he was a criminal? What if used his name to stalk him? It was highly unlikely, but Levi had a small streak of anxiety he couldn’t control. Knowing that, though, he decided he was just being paranoid, and that just his first name probably wouldn’t really hurt.

_Levi._

_Alright. I’m looking forward to meeting you, Levi ;-)_

Levi rolled his eyes at the cheesy smiley face, and didn’t respond. Then, he went and jerked off to Smith’s picture, and after that, he spent the time before he was supposed to meet up with him alternating between anticipatory arousal and nervous worry. He wanted to get laid, and his hook-up seemed nice, but what if it was all a front and he was actually planning to kill him?

It turned out that he wasn’t, of course, and Smith was actually named _Erwin_ Smith, or _daddy_ as Levi had called him while they’d been fucking. He certainly fit the part, and had given Levi a rough, rousing ride to remember in just the span of one hour.

Erwin was a lawyer, tall and handsome with a deep voice that Levi discovered went even deeper when he talked dirty. He had big hands and a big dick - one that he was sure he was going to feel the ache from tomorrow - and he definitely didn’t mind eating ass because he’d shoved his tongue inside Levi’s without hesitation. He’d fucked him hard enough to satisfy Levi’s cravings for such, and in addition to all of that he was polite and came off smart, and Levi had known before it was even over that he wouldn’t mind seeing him again.

Surprisingly, Erwin felt the same way, or seemed to since he’d propositioned him to meet up again as he’d left. Levi had said yes, of course, and here he was now, not even half a day later and already thinking about it. It was stupid because there might not even be a point; just because Erwin had said that didn’t mean he’d end up hearing from him again.

He’d learned a long time ago not to get his hopes up when doing such things, so he told himself he wasn’t going to now, despite how much he wished he could fuck Erwin just one more time.

It turned out, though, that all his doubts were for nothing, because he woke up to a text from Erwin not even three days later.

_Good morning, Levi._ It read. Simple, polite, friendly. Why had Levi’s heart started racing?

_hey._ He said back, noticing that Erwin's name was still saved as Smith in his phone.

While he waited for a response, he corrected it to Erwin. Then, a second later, he backspaced that and changed it to _Daddy_.

_What are you doing tonight?_

Levi stared at the text, biting his lip, trying to quell the hopeful excitement he already felt. The memories of what they had done before were still fresh, fresh enough that he’d get hard if he thought about it for too long, and he hoped Erwin was texting him because he was about to invite him over again. He wanted to just ask Erwin if he wanted to fuck again himself, but he didn’t, managing to refrain in favor of letting him take the lead in the conversation so he wouldn’t seem too eager.

_nothing._ He texted back, swallowing and staring at his phone until Erwin’s next message popped up a second later.

Would you like to come over again? It said, causing Levi’s eyes to go wide and his stomach to flip as he read it.

_i guess, yeah. what time?_

_How about 8:00?_

_okay._

_Great. See you later._

It was that simple, and how Levi found himself on Erwin’s doorstep again, only marginally less nervous than he had been before. He at least knew that Erwin wasn’t going to lock him in his basement and kill him or anything like that, but now he found himself concerned that he’d do something wrong or he’d make a fool of himself. He didn’t know why, because he was just here for sex again, right? Why did he care what Erwin thought of him outside of that?

He felt confused, but in the end he didn’t have time to truly contemplate it before Erwin answered the door, and after staring up into his blue eyes, Levi found himself sure he’d had his last rational thought for the night.

Erwin looked just as strikingly gorgeous as he had last time, Levi noticed immediately, dressed in a sharp pressed button down shirt that was tucked into dark slacks. He wore a tie around his neck that matched his eyes and looked good with his slicked back blonde hair, and somewhere in between thinking about what piece of furniture in the room Erwin could bend him over easiest, he wondered if he'd come from work.

He got a confirmation a moment later when Erwin led him into the kitchen, and toward a table that was covered with cheap Chinese takeout boxes.

“Forgive me, but I left the office a little later than I planned. I didn’t have time to eat, so I picked up something on the way home. I got extra for you, if you want some.”

Levi looked around at the fancy appliances in Erwin’s kitchen with interest while he spoke, noting that despite obviously being several years old, they all looked new and shiny liked they’d barely been used. Vaguely, he wondered if he made it a habit of eating takeout, and then blinked, looking back toward Erwin as his words set in.

What the hell? Was this a hookup, or a date? Levi hadn’t come here expecting any kind of sit down dinner, but whatever, Erwin was probably just trying to be polite. It wasn’t like he really minded - he was a college student, and would never turn down free food - so he sat down in the chair beside Erwin’s at his table and nodded.

“Thanks, I guess.”

“Chicken, or pork?”

“I’m Jewish.”

“So chicken then.” Erwin smiled, passing him the box that apparently contained chicken and another filled with rice.

Levi ate it from the boxes with chopsticks, silently and with one eye on Erwin. After a moment he started to feel awkward, because he hadn’t come here expecting to have to worry about conversation. It was a little strange, too, seeing Erwin so calm and unruffled when the only other impression he had was of him being dominating in the bedroom. Whatever, though, it was how he acted there that mattered as far as Levi was concerned, and considering that just the reminder of it made his throat go dry, he didn’t think this was going to have an affect on it.

"How are you?" Erwin asked then, interrupting Levi's thoughts in a likely attempt to fill the silence.

Levi looked up at him from his food, and then shrugged. "Fine."

"Did you come from school?"

"Yeah."

“What did you say you study again?” Erwin said without skipping a beat, the note of interest in his voice causing Levi to raise an eyebrow.

“Business.”

“That’s interesting. What do you want to do with it?

“Whatever I can, I guess.”

“Do you like it?”

Levi ate a piece of chicken, chewed thoughtfully and tried to decide how much he wanted to say. “Not really. Its shitty.”

“Have you ever thought about changing your major?”

_It’s not that simple for me,_ is what Levi wanted to say, but he feared that would only cause Erwin to ask more questions. College was a sore subject for him, and he wasn’t about to discuss his issues with some guy he barely knew, especially when he hadn't come prepared for an encounter like this. Before he got here he'd thought they would've gone straight to Erwin's bedroom, so instead of responding, he shifted in his seat and hid his scowl in his box of takeout.

“Does it matter? If you keep talking about college, you’re going to kill my boner.”

“Fair enough.” Erwin said, chuckling in the face of Levi’s abrasiveness. Again they were silent for a few minutes while eating their food, until Erwin cleared his throat and spoke back up. “What would you like to talk about?”

“Let me think.” Levi answered immediately, setting down his food and chopsticks abruptly.

He knew how to kill the awkwardness, and exactly what he wanted to talk about - or rather, do - but he waited until Erwin finished chewing his latest bite before he stood up, grabbed the takeout box from his hands, and climbed into his lap. He straddled him and wrapped an arm around his neck, tangling one hand in his hair while resting the other on his chest.

“Why don't we talk about how you’re going to fuck me this time?" Levi said, looking him right in the eye. He let his fingers run across the bottom of Erwin’s scalp lightly, and moved his other hand to grip his tie tightly before adding: _“Daddy.”_

Just like before, that seemed to be the magic word. If Erwin was taken aback by Levi climbing onto him so suddenly and ripping his unfinished food from his hands, he didn’t show it, and Levi swore he could see his pupils dilating as he stared at him. His brows drew down, too, and he cleared his throat before bringing his hands around to cup Levi's ass.

Unlike last time though, that was all he did. He didn't immediately pounce much to Levi’s chagrin, adding to the frustration that had slowly been building since they'd started eating. It wasn't that Erwin made Levi uncomfortable, because he didn’t - it was actually the opposite. It's just that he hadn't expected to be fed or conversed, and he'd been out of his element since he walked in. Also, he was fucking horny, and he didn't want to be uncomfortable or exceedingly rude by turning down anymore of Erwin's questions. This was a solution to all of those problems, but it would only work if Erwin played along too.

Instead, though, he was just sitting there looking at him, kneading his ass, yes, but doing nothing else, and Levi's impatience was made all the worse by the fact that he could smell Erwin now too, could feel how warm and firm and solid his big body was beneath his own. He was starting to have a hard time keeping himself together, and after another second he bit his lip and squirmed, shifting so that he could bend to press a light kiss to Erwin's chin while shooting him what he hoped was a pleading look.

“That’s quite a decision you’re asking me to make on the spot.” Erwin finally murmured in response, his voice lowering into that syrupy, smooth tone Levi remembered from before, the one that made lust pool hot in his belly.

"I can ride you, daddy-" Levi started, a thrill going through him at the idea.

He was interrupted, however, by Erwin, whose eyes seemed to flash as if he'd thought of something else. “I think I'd like you on your back, Levi. I want to watch you. Will you be a good boy and give daddy what he wants?”

The thought of Erwin watching him made Levi’s ears go red, a hot flush creeping down the back of his neck to match. His first reaction was that he'd be embarrassed, but there was something else about it too that turned him on - something illicit about the thought of Erwin getting off from that which made him feel excited.

Either way, he was almost powerless to say no, caught by Erwin’s intense gaze as he was and held in place by the hands tightening on his ass. So, after a moment he caught his eye, and licked his lips before he swallowed and nodded.

“Yeah.” He croaked too, keeping still as Erwin slid a hand up his back to grip his neck, watching how his eyes lowered to his mouth when he pressed the pad of his thumb against Levi’s bottom lip.

“And are you going to listen to everything daddy says?”

Levi's eyes went lidded and he hummed a yes, unable to speak now because he was too busy pushing the tip of his tongue out against Erwin’s finger. He wanted to suck it into his mouth, wanted to suck what was between Erwin's legs into his mouth too, but he was finding it hard to focus when his imagination was suddenly alight with the many possible things Erwin might ask him to do. Just the thought of him taking control again had him very nearly groaning, and if he wasn’t so turned on he might be mortified that Erwin had gotten him so pliant and so willing in such a short amount of time again.

“Good.” Erwin said, leaning forward so he could speak into Levi’s ear. “You’re very good, Levi, a good boy.”

Then Erwin directed his head down, and he all but let out a moan when he finally kissed him. He’d been thinking about this all day, recalling how good it had been between them before, his want to experience it again becoming nearly unbearable as soon as he’d walked into Erwin’s apartment. As a result, he practically melted against Erwin as soon as their lips touched, parting his own for him obediently, wrapping his arms around his neck so that Erwin could claim his mouth with a hungry, heated kiss.

That was how he ended up sprawled out in the middle of Erwin’s big, plush bed again, deposited there gently after Erwin had risen from the chair and carried him into the room like he was nothing. Without skipping a beat he’d climbed on top of him, continuing the searing kiss they’d been sharing in the kitchen before slowly starting to move down his neck.

Every press of his lips felt like a brand, hot against Levi’s skin and making him whine. He got a sharp mark sucked into his collarbone for his impatience, and found himself face to face with the top of Erwin’s blonde head as he pushed his shirt up and latched his mouth around one of his nipples. That made him arch up, gasping and winding the fingers of one hand into Erwin’s hair.

He tugged before he could stop himself, but Erwin didn’t mind. In fact, it was the opposite, because it just made him attack Levi’s chest more vigorously. He nipped at the sensitive nub with his teeth, biting it just as Levi was biting down on his own lip to keep silent. He couldn’t stop himself from squirming though, jerking his hips when Erwin switched to the other side of his chest and licked at that one too.

Then he was sitting up, his eyes roving over Levi, appraising him as he reached to unbuckle his pants and tug them down over his hips. When his legs were free, Erwin spread them and pushed one up, sitting back on his knees to stare at his exposed ass with a heated expression.

“No prior preparation this time?” He asked, referring to before when Levi had shown up with his ass already open and a buttplug inside him.

Levi bit his lip and shook his head - he hadn’t had time, and besides, he knew Erwin was experienced and no longer had any reason to oppose him doing it himself.

“Don’t you want to touch me yourself, daddy?” He said, sliding his hands underneath himself to spread his ass cheeks.

Erwin stared when he did it, his eyes practically burning holes into his skin, and he licked his lips. Levi was trying to taunt him into action, of course, but he should have known after last time that it wouldn’t necessarily work. Apparently Erwin had other ideas then what Levi was suggesting too, because another moment later and he tore his eyes away from between Levi’s legs, letting go of the one he was holding to shrug his shirt and tie off.

“Yes. But why don’t you start first? Why don’t you show daddy how you like it?”

“Shit.” Levi swore, taken aback for a moment by Erwin’s request.

He probably shouldn’t be - obviously, these were not normal encounters - and Erwin had already told him he wanted to watch. His face burned even hotter than it already was though, and he took a shuddering breath. Then, after his mind caught up, he twisted.

Fine, whatever. He wanted Erwin’s fingers in his ass, yes, but if Erwin wanted to see how he liked it, than he could certainly show him that too.

There was lube on Erwin’s nightstand; he’d seen it when he’d been placed onto the bed. He grabbed it and then settled back in the position he had been in before, with his legs spread wide and his knees bent in front of Erwin. Slicking his fingers up, Levi made sure he was watching before he rubbed the tip of one at his entrance, hesitating for only a second before he slipped it inside himself.

Immediately, he let out a soft moan, his head falling back to rest against the sheets. His groin was so tight with arousal that even that small amount of stimulation made his ass twitch pleasurably, and after catching Erwin’s eye, he cupped his balls with his other hand, moving them aside so he had a clear view of him pushing the tip of a second finger in.

At that he made a breathier sound, shifting on the bed and pausing for a moment to lick his lips, to swallow so he could coat his dry throat. Then he thumbed at what he could reach of his cock and moved again, canting his hips up in favor of pushing his fingers inside himself, letting them slide in deeper that way until they were both buried completely and to the hilt.

He didn’t stop there.

Instead, he kept his legs spread as wide as he could and dug his heels into the bed, arching and scissoring his fingers so he could begin working in a third. This time the burn and stretch from it made him squeeze his eyes shut and dig his teeth into his bottom lip, but he couldn’t help but groan too and clench around his fingers.

He opened his eyes a second later as he stopped long enough to adjust, peeking up at Erwin out from underneath his lashes to see his gaze fixated intently on what he was doing between his thighs. The expression on his face was heated and focused, a strong dusting of red covering both his cheeks and chest, and it made Levi have to choke back another sound, caused him to push all three of his fingers in deeper just to watch Erwin’s lips part at the sight.

He knew he was going fast but he didn’t care - not when it made Erwin look at him like that, and not when Erwin had told him to anyway. He’d asked for Levi to show him how he liked it, and this was it: his ass made full and open as quick as he could do it without hurting himself badly, stretched and aching around his fingers from how hard he’d pushed himself. It was just as satisfying to him as it was to be fucked loose, and after a moment, he dragged the digits out slowly before pushing them back in.

His moan sounded a bit ragged, and his toes curled when he continued to move his hand and the tips of his fingers brushed against his prostate. By now the pleasure was warm in his thighs, far outweighing any discomfort he might have felt earlier, and suddenly the three fingers in his ass were not enough.

Just as he added more lube and began to tease his hole with the end of his pinky, though, Erwin shifted to grab his wrist. He stopped him, and immediately Levi's eyes snapped up to meet his.

_"Daddy-"_ He moaned, pleading because of the sudden lack of friction, huffing and lifting his hips to try and gain some that way.

Before he knew it Erwin had pulled his hand away though, leaving him empty and open for a second before he replaced Levi’s fingers with three of his own. He’d stuck them into his mouth and combined with whatever slick mess of lube was still in Levi’s ass, they slid in easy. They were a bit thicker than Levi’s, though, and it made him inhale sharply and clench around them, the sound he let out next swallowed by Erwin when he leaned over to kiss him.

Immediately, Levi began reaching for his pants, palming at his clothed erection before he fumbled with his belt and buckle. He had to be aching by now, and sure enough, when Levi’s hand brushed against the skin of his bare cock to pull it out, his lips faltered and he gasped.

“Come on.”  Levi panted, stroking him and meeting Erwin’s fingers with his hips as if to show him what he wanted. “I want you inside me, daddy. Fuck me.”

Erwin kissed him again, capturing his lips before he mouthed aggressively at his neck.

“Greedy boy.” He practically growled, probing Levi’s ass for the spot that would make him see stars. “Do you think you’re open enough for me?”

Levi’s answer was a low whine, coupled with a desperate tug on Erwin’s cock from his hand. It was thick and heavy, warm against his fingers, and he wanted it somewhere else right then, whether he was actually ready or not.

Luckily, he got what he wanted, because after sucking one last mark into the pale skin of Levi’s throat, Erwin pulled away. He pushed his trousers down so that they pooled around his thighs and reached for a condom, ripping the package open with his teeth before rolling it on and making himself ready with the lube.

Then he was hooking fingers up underneath one of Levi’s knees, pushing his leg back to spread him that way while he guided himself in with his other hand. Levi’s mouth dropped open immediately when he felt it, grabbing at the sheets with both hands while his thighs trembled. The solid thickness of Erwin’s cock was so much better than his fingers, so much more filling and satisfying and _good_.

If only Erwin wasn’t sliding in so slowly, though, if only Levi could get some leverage to move his hips himself. It was hard with the way Erwin had a hold of one leg, but he tried by planting his free foot down to cant his ass up only to have Erwin grab him by the back of that knee too. Now both his legs were pushed up, so far back that he was basically bent in half and his hips were angled off the bed.

He wasn’t complaining. The position made him feel even more stretched by every single inch of Erwin’s cock, more full, especially when he was finally buried to the hilt and Levi could feel him pressed inside somewhere impossibly deep. The sensation was only intensified by Erwin’s broad hips pressed flush against his ass and his belly pushing against the bottom of his spread thighs, and once he moved, the feel of Erwin shifting inside him drew a low, long moan out from Levi’s throat.

After that, Erwin didn’t stop again. He held Levi’s legs back and kneeled behind him, thrusting into him in a steady, pounding pace. Levi was aware of his eyes on him while he did so, watching him like he’d said he wanted to, but Levi found his gaze just as focused on Erwin in front of him. With the way he was stuck beneath him, Erwin’s torso was visible right between his legs, and he couldn’t help but stare at the way his muscles moved and flexed while he thrusted.

They were already covered in a shiny, thin sheen of sweat, and Levi found himself reaching out to touch, palming at Erwin’s skin from between his thighs and moving to to grab at his hips a moment later. It just made Erwin roll them that much harder and faster, encouraged by the sounds he was making that were growing louder and more high-pitched the longer he fucked him.

Everytime Erwin thrust inside him he struck somewhere deep, the head of his cock bumping against Levi’s prostate hard enough to make his belly clench. He was leaking all over himself and soon, Erwin was pounding into him so hard his thighs were slapping against the back of Levi’s ass, the sound almost drowning out his cries. He couldn’t muffle them, not with his jaw slack like it was from the force of Erwin’s thrusts, so instead he just squeezed his eyes shut and let his head fall back against the bed.

He’d started jerking off at some point, the gesture so automatic that he’d barely even realized it, and found himself rapidly reaching the edge of release. Soon he was arched, his stomach and thighs tight and feeling like they were ready to snap at any moment, his hips squirming as much as he could move desperately until suddenly, a choked off cry tore from his throat and he froze. Shuddering with pleasure, he spurted a line of hot, sticky wetness all over himself a moment later, and another, and then another while Erwin fucked him right through it.

Somewhere above him through his haze he heard Erwin groan, a rough sounding noise that was the first one he’d made all night. It was probably from the way Levi’s ass was involuntarily clenching around him, and after another few moments his thrusts became more erratic and his breathing harsh. Seconds later, he came too, squeezing bruises into Levi’s legs until he buried himself deep one last time and abruptly stilled with a grunt.

Levi opened his eyes just in time to see him let go of his knees and catch himself with his arms, gasping for breath with his eyes squeezed shut. His face was bright red and his hair fell into his eyes messily, and Levi shifted with an uncontrolled mewl beneath him while reaching up to wrap arms around his neck. He dragged him down for a kiss on a whim without even thinking about it, clutching at him when Erwin realized what he wanted and moved their lips together.

It was a warm kiss, seemingly slow and lazy after what they’d just done, but Erwin still captured his mouth deeply like he was trying to claim it. It made Levi feel even more tingly all over than he already did from his orgasm, and when they parted, Erwin stared down at him with bright, open eyes for a moment before he pulled out and rolled to the side.

That was that, Levi thought, knowing what he was supposed to do next: clean up, get dressed, and leave Erwin’s apartment to end what was just another casual hookup, or so he told himself.

He did so, this time even without the proposition of another meeting, but before he could go, Erwin surprised him again in a different way. Stopping him before he could walk out the door, he placed a hand on Levi’s shoulder and bent to kiss his cheek. It made him freeze, because despite the fact that they’d fucked twice, it felt more intimate than anything they’d done, the light press of his lips sweet and gentle enough that Levi was not entirely sure what to make of it.

Erwin seemed to realize what he’d done, and straightened up quickly after he’d glimpsed Levi’s wide eyes. He cleared his throat and stepped away, and didn’t touch him again as he left - now hurriedly, because he felt awkward and confused again - and before Levi knew it, two weeks had passed and he hadn’t heard from Erwin again.

That gave Levi the hint that Erwin didn’t want to hook up with him anymore, or whatever, and should’ve made him forget about all of this. Unfortunately, it didn’t, and he didn’t, and he found himself thinking about Erwin whenever his mind would wander.

Strangely enough, it wasn’t just about his cock and how he felt inside him, either. When he daydreamed about Erwin he felt lust in his belly, yes, but also something in his chest, a strange fluttering that Levi didn’t want to admit to himself what it was: a crush. That’s all it could be because he barely knew him, but that was just it. He wanted to know more, wanted to spend time with Erwin outside of the bedroom.

It was stupid, and he was frustrated with himself for letting it happen, for seeing him again when he should’ve known better. He’d slept with handfuls of guys and never had this problem, though, so why now? Was it because Erwin was handsome with a big dick? Mature and seemingly kind, and charming both in the bedroom and out? Is that why Levi felt that he was wrapped around his finger, even though he’d only met him two fucking times?

Shit, he thought, what was he supposed to do? It was only going to end with him being disappointed and hurt if he pursued it, especially since Erwin was older. What guy his age would want anything to do with a shitty 24 year old college kid like him? And besides, what was the point in even entertaining the idea? It wasn’t like Levi had time for anything like that anyway, not with everything else he had going on in his life, right?

He tried to convince himself of all of this, that continuing to think about Erwin was a bad idea, as was texting him, especially. Not doing any of it was easier said than done, though, because he could hardly help his thoughts, and after two weeks it seemed any restraint he might have possessed had run out.

Levi wanted to see him again, even if it was for just another quick fuck. He knew it was foolish and certainly wouldn’t help him get over his annoying, messy feelings, but he couldn’t help it. It was better than nothing, right?

There was always the chance he knew, however minimal, that Erwin wouldn’t shut him down if he contacted him. That small inkling of hope was what convinced him to finally do it, because no matter how ridiculous it was, he had a feeling he wouldn’t ever stop wondering if he didn’t just try. Maybe, he thought cynically, Erwin would just tell him to fuck off. That was certainly one way to end all of this bullshit.

So, with those thoughts in mind and despite the fact that he absolutely knew he was going to embarrass himself, Levi picked up his phone and texted Erwin on a Wednesday afternoon.

_hey, daddy._ He said, unable to resist the urge for the thrill that ran through him when he called Erwin that.

He was already biting his bottom lip anxiously as soon as he sent the message, but to his surprise, Erwin responded almost instantaneously.

_Hello, Levi. How are you?_

Levi could almost hear his deep voice as he read the words, and encouraged by his response, swallowed and began moving his fingers over his phone’s keyboard again.

_fine._ He sent, pausing for a moment before he decided to just go for it this time. _wanna fuck again?_

After that, Erwin took a lot longer in responding. Levi could see the little ellipses on his phone screen that signaled he was typing, though, going on and off like he couldn't decide what to say. It made him sure that Erwin was about to refuse him, and he was seconds away from feeling humiliated and disappointed and angry at himself just like he'd known he'd would, when a new message finally popped up.

_Yes._ It said simply after all that typing, causing Levi to raise an eyebrow until he got Erwin's next text. _I'd enjoy seeing you again._

That made his heart race, and although he hadn't been rejected, he still felt embarrassed when his cheeks went pink. No one was around to see it but he still scowled at his phone anyway, feeling ridiculous at the elation that went through him when he realized Erwin had said yes. Fuck, though, how was he ever supposed to get over him now?

His brief rush of excitement was short lived, however, when before he could answer, Erwin texted him again.

_I'm going out of town for a week tomorrow, though. I have a trial. Can you come tonight?_

Oh. Shit. Levi frowned and flopped over onto his couch, because it seemed he could only be so lucky. Tonight was the only night he couldn't. He had a pre-scheduled commitment on Wednesday nights every week, and no matter how much he wanted to for this, he couldn't break it.

_i can't. i have to go somewhere. raincheck?_

_Sure._ Erwin said quickly, before following with: _Would you mind if I called you instead?_

Levi blinked. He hadn't been expecting that. Why did Erwin want to call him? Was he propositioning Levi for phone sex? That was his first thought, naturally, which he certainly wasn’t opposed to, so after briefly considering what time he might be home, he texted him back.

_fine. i'll be home around 10._

_Alright, I'll be up. Talk to you then._

Levi didn't respond; the conversation was finished. That didn't keep him from reading it over and over again at least five times, though, a warm feeling blossoming inside him at how Erwin had talked to him.

“I’d enjoy seeing you again,” he’d written, a statement that made him feel good against all of his better judgment, against everything telling him that it was extremely likely that the only interest Erwin actually held in Levi had to do with his ass. Right now, though, he didn’t care, because this had managed to cheer him up on what would have otherwise been a shitty day.

It was because of what he had to do that night, which he actually needed to finish getting ready for now. He was still sitting around in his underwear from when he’d gotten out of the shower earlier, dawdling while he’d worked up the courage to text Erwin. Now that he’d done it, though, he finally climbed off his couch to go get dressed.

Quickly, he ran a comb through his hair and threw on a casual button down shirt, rolling the sleeves up to his elbows before he pulled on a pair of jeans. After that, he gathered his backpack and made sure everything he needed to bring with him was in it, and slipped on his shoes before making his way down to the bus stop.

An hour later, he arrived at their town’s nicest assisted living facility, a large, multi-functional place that served as a home for residents of varying dependence. It was very modern, and Levi had become familiar with every aspect of its independent living section. He still had to sign in as a visitor, though, and once he did, he made his way down the hall to Suite 76C before knocking on the door.

It was a few seconds before he heard footsteps and then the sound of the lock clicking open, and then there was a woman standing in front of him, taller than him by a foot but otherwise, comprised of enough similar features that it was almost like he was looking in a mirror.

“Hey, mom.” He said when she greeted him, giving him a beaming smile before wrapping him up in a hug.

Levi stood there for a moment in her embrace, letting her hold him while he tried to gauge her mood. After a moment, though, he lifted his arms, and gently gave her a loose hug back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I should clean up.” Levi said after another brief moment of silence, realizing how disgusting he felt. 
> 
> He was practically covered in lube, come, and sweat, and he was going to have to shower now before he went to bed. He’d have to change his sheets, too, and it had gotten so late that he knew he was probably going to regret this in the morning. Right now, though, regret was the last thing he felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg! Let me just say I was blown away by the response this fic has gotten so far, so thank you thank you THANK YOU to everyone who commented and left kudos and read because I didn't expect this <3 :) I hope it continues to stay interesting, and special thanks to @Cafetinne on twitter for helping me a bit with this chapter.

“Levi.” Kuchel said to her son by way of greeting, kissing Levi’s cheek when he hugged her back.

She held him tightly for a few moments herself as if she hadn’t seen him in months, and then finally stepped away. She smiled down at him and pushed his hair back away from his face, running her thin fingers through it, and Levi fought the urge to cringe. He was 24, far too old for shit like that, but he didn’t have the heart to squirm away from her. Not when such gestures signalled that his mother was in a good mood - for at least right now, anyway.

“I’m glad you came.” Kuchel said, holding Levi’s face in her hands. “I’m making sloppy joes. Your favorite, right?”

“Maybe when I was a brat.” Levi answered, following her into her suite when she let go of him, walking through the living room and towards his mother’s tiny kitchen.

He was teasing. Of course he liked sloppy joes because really, there wasn’t much he wouldn’t eat, but the dish was simple and it saddened him to watch his mother pour a jar of cheap, pre-made sauce into a pot when she used to be able to make elaborate, gourmet meals from scratch.

“Need help?” He asked, the sight of her cooking, despite everything, reminding him as it always did of when he used to bake with her when he was younger.

Kuchel Ackerman was aged 57 years, more than three decades older than Levi although she didn’t look it. The only outward sign of her age was the few silver strands coloring her hair, the inky black color otherwise identical to her son’s. Her face didn’t look more than 40, people often told her, but inwardly, it was a different story.

Three years ago she had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, after what had at first seemed like minor slips of memory turning out to be something much more serious. She was now somewhere around the early-middle stages of it, and although Levi had done his best to take care of her in their family home, a point had come around 6 months ago when he’d had to make the decision to move her into a place like this.

She’d been steadily getting worse for a while, and although he’d known it would come to that when they’d found out she had the disease, that didn’t make it any easier when she started forgetting to take her pills or to turn the stove off, or when Levi would get a call from her in a panic because she’d gone to the grocery store and couldn’t remember how to get home.

She had been his only parent his entire life, and he was all she had too because his shitty uncle only came around when it suited him. He wished he could be there for her all the time so she could stay at home, but it wasn’t possible - not when he had school and a full-time job that was needed to help pay the bills since she couldn’t work anymore.

Unfortunately, a live-in nurse was too expensive, and it wasn’t like she couldn’t still do a lot of things on her own anyway. She was still functional, it was just she needed to be in a place where someone was only a minute away to help her when she needed it. Assisted living was the answer, but Levi had hated sending her there for many reasons.

It was sad, heartbreaking that she had declined so much that she couldn’t always take care of herself, and it made everything seem that much more real. Levi had known she was sick, of course, but this was like the beginning of the end, because once she moved into a place like this he knew that she was never going to leave again.

Kuchel had always been independent and hadn’t wanted to either, and she hadn’t spoken to Levi for almost a month afterwards which made it even worse. Eventually she’d come around though, after she’d gotten settled, because she was still well enough to have her own suite at least. It was almost like a tiny apartment, with options for grocery delivery and supervised field trips every week. There were meals and entertainment at the facility too if you wanted it, and of course, Kuchel was checked up on by a nurse three times a day. She had a button that called for one if she needed help also, and they’d gotten lucky enough to be assigned a personal one that Levi liked.

Levi knew she wouldn’t be able to stay here forever, though; eventually, she would have to move to the Memory Care unit of the facility, but until then, he wasn’t going to force her to live any more dependently than she had to.

So for now, she lived in her suite and Levi visited her every Wednesday, and if he was up for it, other days. It was hard, because sometimes when he came she would be fine, and although she hadn’t forgotten who he was yet, other times she would be out of it and in a bad-tempered, easily irritated mood. Luckily, tonight she seemed happy enough, but mood swings were a symptom of her disease and Levi knew that could change in the drop of a hat. Sometimes when he visited it was like he had to walk on eggshells around her, because he was constantly watching what he said or worrying that he would do something to set her off and ruin his visit. It was stressful, but he missed her too, and he would never stop their Wednesday meetings no matter how bad it got.

“I don’t need help.” Kuchel told Levi after he’d asked, looking over her shoulder at him stubbornly. “Just tell me what you’ve been up to.”

“Nothing. The usual.”

“How’s school?”

“Its the same. Boring as fuck. I hate the classes.”

“Well, I bet when you get out of high school you’ll like college better.”

“Mom.” Levi said, clenching his jaw. _I’m used to this,_ he thought, trying to tell himself that so he wouldn’t get upset. _I’m used to this._ “I am in college. I’m studying business.”

Kuchel stirred the pot of sloppy joe sauce, cocking her head as she thought. Levi braced himself, because sometimes when she forgot something or got confused it aggravated her and she would get distressed, or angry. This time though, apparently she was just going to shake it off. “Oh, shit. I knew that. I’m sorry.”

“I’m taking a cooking class as an elective next semester, though.”

At that, Kuchel smiled at him, and Levi even managed a small one back. “You’re going to put everyone to shame.”

“I know. But it’s better than more business classes.”

Her face fell a little when he mentioned his major, because she knew why he’d made it what it was. If things were different, if his mother wasn’t sick and he didn’t have to take care of her he would have gone to culinary school. He was an excellent chef - he’d gotten that from her - but he’d been determined to do something that he knew would assure him a career and money once he got out of college. He didn’t doubt that she blamed herself even though he didn’t and there was nothing they could do about it, so he wasn’t surprised when she got sympathetic and started acting like a mother hen.

“Levi.” She said a moment later, after she’d mixed the sauce and meat together and walked over to where Levi was sitting against a counter. “Don’t forget I’m proud of you.”

She leaned against him and he rolled his eyes, scowling, but wrapped an arm around her anyway. "Stop talking shit."

"You're going to make some man very happy one day."

Levi opened his mouth to tell his mother she was getting too sentimental and disgusting, and not to mention embarrassing, but then froze. Why had he suddenly thought of Erwin?

He knew why, but it still made his ears turn red, and of course Kuchel noticed.

"You’re blushing. Did you meet someone? I want to hear about him."

"No." He snapped, his frown deepening as he looked away. It wasn't _exactly_ a lie. His mother meant dating, and he and Erwin certainly were not a couple. "I don't have time for that."

Kuchel just clucked her tongue at him, giving him a look that suggested she knew he wasn’t telling the truth. She didn't press any further though, and went back to start getting their sandwiches ready. That was when the night - one of the best so far that Levi had experienced with her in weeks - nearly took a turn for the worst.

Levi watched her go to her pantry and look around, then glance over her shoulder at the counter with a furrowed brow before turning around again. He knew by her silence that something was wrong, and when she started to wring her hands he walked over to her.

"Mom. What is it?"

"I forgot to order buns. For the sandwiches."

_Shit._ He thought. She hadn’t remembered another thing, and even though it was something even he could have forgotten, he could tell that this time she was not going to be able to simply brush it off.

"It doesn't matter." He said, thinking quickly. He placed a hand on her shoulder in an effort to calm her, and was relieved when she didn't twist away. Sometimes that happened, and it always made it harder for him to figure out what to do. "I'll fix it. I'll figure something else out."

"I wanted to feed you. I-" Kuchel said. She was still staring into the pantry, and her tone sounded almost childlike and painfully helpless.

"You don't need to feed me anymore mom, I'm an adult. Sit down and I'll get you tea. I brought you some from that stupid fancy store you like, look."

While he spoke, Levi directed her over to the nearest kitchen chair and then dug around in his backpack, pulling out the various bags of tea he'd gotten her. She loved to drink the stuff and so did he, but unlike him, she enjoyed quite a variety and liked to try new blends.

"This is nice." Kuchel said, looking through the teas. Her expression had been twisted in frustration earlier, but now she had a sort of dazed look on her face. It was the one she wore when her mind started to lapse, and Levi frowned. "What store is it from again?"

"The one by the mall, mom. You used to drag me in there to buy your shitty potpourri. The manager always hit on you and gave you a discount."

Her thin brows drew down at Levi's explanation, and she didn't respond. He wasn't sure if she recalled the store or not, but he could never remember the name of it either. He had to start water for her tea and deal with dinner though, so he left it.

A quick glance into his mother's pantry told Levi that she didn't have any other sort of bread items either, but he found a can of biscuit dough in her fridge. That would work. Instead of sloppy joe sandwiches, they would just have sloppy joe casserole instead.

While the oven heated up, Levi spread the ground beef she’d cooked and with the sauce mixture into a casserole dish. He added a bit more seasoning and some onion he found, and then divided the biscuit dough up to place on top. After that, all he had to do was let it bake and fix Kuchel her tea. Once she had that she calmed even more, and Levi was relieved. The incident could have been much, much worse, with her yelling and crying and resistant to touch instead of her just wringing her hands and looking worried.

The rest of the evening was rather uneventful. They ate dinner and then watched some television, and it was only an hour before Kuchel started nodding off. She was tired and it made her cranky, so it was probably for the best that it was also around the time when Levi usually left. He waited until the nurse came by though, to check on her before she went to bed and to give her all of her medication. When they rang the bell, Levi answered the door.

“Hello!” The nurse said, giving Levi a smile when he let them in.

Their name was Hange, and they’d been taking care of Levi’s mother ever since she’d moved into the facility. Because of that they were familiar, of course, and Levi had found them to be a reliable and trustworthy nurse. They were also around the same age as him, and because of that, they’d sort of struck up a strange friendship over the past few months.

Levi waited in the kitchen while Hange gave Kuchel her medicine and then made sure she got into bed without incident, and looked up when they entered to give him his usual weekly update.

“She’s had a good week.” Hange told him. “She’s still forgetting lots of details, but her mood swings have been better! I think the new antidepressants her doctor put her on have made a difference. Her anxiety has lessened a good deal, although she still refuses to let the attendants do her laundry.”

Levi nodded, unsurprised. His mother was stubborn - he’d gotten it from somewhere, after all - and there were just some things that she was apparently going to insist on doing until she physically couldn’t anymore.

“She still won’t go on any of the field trips either. I thought I talked her into the art museum this week, but she told me to ‘piss the hell off’ and not to touch her when I came to get her for the bus.”

Sometimes, Levi found his mother’s attitude amusing even though it was made all the worse by her illness. Luckily, Hange didn’t take it personally, and Levi almost smiled from where he was forlornly cleaning up their dirty dishes in the kitchen when he heard what she said. Almost.

“Did you have a good time?”

“Yeah.” Levi answered. He finished up, got his backpack and shrugged it on. “She forgot to get hamburger buns and almost flipped her shit, but it’s been worse. I brought her more tea, make sure she remembers she has it.”

“I will, Levi. I’ll call you if we need anything.”

“Thanks Hange.”

Hange opened the door for him, waving enthusiastically as Levi said his goodbyes and then stared at the ground as he made his way back to the bus stop. Leaving his mother there was never fun even if he trusted the nurse, but returning home to the house that she’d raised him in was even worse.

It was because he’d lived there his whole life, and had dozens and dozens of memories with his mother where things were good. And now when he got home after visiting her somewhere else where he was constantly faced with reminders of her illness, it always just felt sad and empty and quiet.

This time when he unlocked the front door, though, the silence was interrupted by his cell phone ringing. It was Erwin - the word ‘Daddy’ displayed in large letters on his phone screen letting him know who it was - and Levi chewed on his lip. It was 10:10, and while he hadn’t forgotten Erwin was supposed to call him that night, he wasn’t sure that he was up for talking or phone sex or anything like that after all, not when he’d just come from a semi-difficult visit with his mother.

Still, something told him to answer, so after setting his backpack down and taking his shoes off, he flopped down onto the couch and picked up.

“Hey.”

“Hello, Levi.”

From the second Erwin's smooth, warm voice filled his ear, Levi felt his heart rate increase. It caught him off guard and rendered him silent, and forced Erwin to speak again hesitantly lest their conversation get awkward already.

"Ah...you aren't still busy, are you?"

"No. I just got home." Levi said. "But listen, I'm not really in the mood for phone sex, so-"

Levi stopped talking as quickly as he’d started because Erwin was suddenly laughing, and he let the sound wash over him for a moment while he sat there in surprise before frowning.

"What the hell is so funny?" He said defensively, because he didn’t like not knowing if, when, or why he was the butt of a joke.

Erwin's laughter died down to a quiet chuckle, and then he cleared his throat. "Nothing. I'm sorry, it's just, that's not why I called you."

"What? Why did you want to talk then?"

"I just wanted to talk to you. I thought it would be nice." Erwin said immediately, causing Levi's eyes to widen.

His ears began to feel warm again too, and his cheeks and the inside of his chest, and he swallowed. "Oh."

"I mean, if that's alright, of course."

Erwin spoke quickly that time, as if he wasn't sure how to take Levi's simple response. The only reason he'd said that about the phone sex was because he wanted to save them both the awkwardness of Erwin trying to start it and Levi refusing him. He was also planning to suggest another time, but apparently Erwin hadn't been thinking about that at all.

"Yeah." Levi said though, because the fact that Erwin wanted to talk to him without it having anything to do with sex was a good sign, right? Maybe he didn’t have to be so worried about his stupid crush after all.  "Yeah, it's fine.”

"Okay then. How was your night? Were you in class?"

"No. I had to help my mom with something." Levi said, with no plans to go into any further detail.

"That’s nice. I spent my night packing for my trip."

From there, Levi and Erwin's conversation went on to what Erwin's trial was about. He told Levi all about it, as much as he could, and then they talked about whatever else came to mind, pointless, lighthearted shit that didn’t mean anything, but distracted him from where he’d been all night. He lost track of time quickly like that, and before he knew it they'd been talking for well over an hour.

He only realized when he shifted to lie down on the couch, and caught a glimpse of the clock. It read 11:38 PM, and his eyes widened.

"Shit." He blurted, interrupting Erwin.

"What is it?"

"It's almost midnight. I have class at 9:00 in the morning." He said with a groan, hearing a puff of amusement from Erwin's end of the line immediately afterward.

"Yes, my flight leaves at 10:15. I should probably get ready for bed too."

Levi paused for a moment, thinking. Talking to Erwin had done wonders for his mood since he’d gotten home. Now, instead of feeling melancholy and alone in his empty, silent house, he felt more like his normal self, and couldn’t help his mind from wandering after he’d been listening to Erwin’s rich, deep voice for over an hour.

“Are you in bed right now?” He said, lowering his voice. “Daddy?”

There was a pause, so quiet that Levi could hear his suddenly pounding heart hammering in his ears, and then Erwin answered.

“I’m sitting on it, yes. Are you?”

Levi was not, but as soon as Erwin started talking he was scrambling off the couch, rushing out of the living room and down the hall to his bedroom so quickly he nearly tripped over his own two feet.

“Yeah.” He breathed, stifling a grunt as he landed on his own bed and rolled into the center.

“I thought you weren’t interested in doing this sort of thing?”

Levi listened to Erwin as he removed his shirt and hastily undid his pants, not caring if he overheard the metallic sounds of his belt buckle flopping around, and shoved them down over his thighs so he could cup his burgeoning erection.

“Maybe I changed my mind.” He said, settling back and giving his balls a gentle tug. “Maybe I’ve been thinking about your cock for the past 30 minutes.”

“That’s quite a while. I didn’t know you’d grown so fond of it in such a short amount of time.”

Levi scoffed, rolling his eyes. Erwin was right, though, he just had no idea. Thirty minutes was only a fraction of the truth; Levi had been thinking about Erwin’s cock on and off every single day for the past two weeks.

“I wanna blow you.” He said, causing more silence.

He blinked, and then heard rustling. It sounded like clothing being removed or Erwin shifting on his bed, and he took that as a sign that Erwin was going to play along. Not that he thought he’d be bothered by him talking about sucking his dick, but he’d blurted it before he’d been able to help himself.

Out of all the things he’d been imagining since he and Erwin had last met, that was the one thing he was craving the most. He’d had a brief taste of his big cock the first time they’d fucked, but he’d barely gotten started when he’d been pulled away. Last time he didn’t even have a chance, but he still remembered how heavy Erwin felt on his tongue and how wide he stretched his lips, and he couldn’t help but wonder just how far he would be able to take him down his throat.

“That sounds nice. I haven’t forgotten how your lips looked around it.” Erwin replied, his voice already lower and huskier than it had been before. Levi wondered if he was touching himself yet, and if so, how. “Would you mind telling me why, though?”

By then, Levi had wrapped a hand around his own cock, rubbing the head with his thumb after he’d put his cell on speakerphone and set it beside his ear. His other fingers he shoved into his mouth, sucking on them for a minute before he pressed the tip of one to his entrance. He massaged it lightly to tease himself and then exhaled, letting his head fall to the side so he could speak into the phone.

“Its big. I want to see how far I can take it. It tasted good.”

“You want it down your throat, then?”

“Yes, daddy.” Levi said automatically, his breath hitching slightly as he let a finger dip inside his ass, recalling what Erwin had tasted and smelled like, and imagining how he’d latch his lips around his length if he had the chance again, how he would feel sliding smoothly into his mouth and over his tongue.

"I bet you'd look filthy like that.” Erwin was saying to him, while Levi stroked his cock once and spread his legs wider. He tightened his fist and squeezed a single drop of pre-come from the tip, a shudder running through him as he slipped his finger in all the way to the first knuckle and then pulled it out. “On your knees with your cheeks hollowed out, sucking daddy’s cock obediently.”

Levi was trying to make this last as long as possible, moving his hand away from his ass to rub at his thigh and hip and to roll his balls in his palm. With the way Erwin was talking to him, though, syrupy and in a low purr and saying such dirty things, he wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to restrain himself for, and was already clenching around his missing finger.

He found himself beyond turned on suddenly at what they were doing, at the daring, vulgar aspect of it, but if he closed his eyes he could almost imagine that Erwin was there with him, murmuring into his ear himself instead of through the phone. Between that and imagining himself on his knees between Erwin’s thighs like he’d said, hungrily sucking his cock, his belly was already clenching with the need for release. He wanted more, and after twisting to grab some lube from the table next to his bed, he shoved two fingers up his ass without restraint.

“Would you come down my throat? Or on my face?” He breathed, savoring the way the slight stretch burned up his spine.

Pleasure came on its heels when he stroked his cock again, and his hips lifted as he let out a quiet gasp.

“I’d rather come inside you.” Erwin said immediately, his voice a throaty growl. “Tell me what you’re doing. Are you jerking off?”

“Yeah.”

“What about your ass? Are you fingering yourself?”

“Yeah. I wish it was your cock.”

“How many fingers?”

“Two.” Levi moaned, pushing them both all the way up to his last knuckle.

His hips bucked and his ass clenched, and he heard Erwin exhale.

“Already?” He said, clucking his tongue. “We’ve only just started.”

Levi flushed at that, whining as he tugged at his cock quicker. His mouth fell open and he arched, twisting his fingers inside himself before letting out a shuddering breath.

“Maybe daddy should teach you some patience, Levi, what do you think?”

“Please-” Was all he could manage in response, agreeing immediately almost as soon as the words left Erwin’s mouth. He didn’t even know what he was going to do but he didn’t care; the authoritarial tone in his voice had made heat lance sharply through his groin.

His thighs were growing tight already, the warm hum of pleasure building inside him the more he touched himself. It never took him long when he got going like this on his own, and Erwin certainly wasn’t helping. He was almost powerless to stop his fingers from reaching for his prostate, finding it easily because he knew exactly where to search out, moaning once when he pressed right against the spot.

The sound was louder than any he’d made so far and the feeling went straight to his head, his belly clenching when he heard Erwin hum thoughtfully into his ear. He began to lose himself as he imagined it was him touching him like this, his thick fingers spreading him and getting him ready for his cock, and-

“Stop what you’re doing. You aren’t going to come until I tell you to. Do you understand?”

Levi’s eyes, which had been squeezed shut as he rapidly approached the edge of release, opened widely as his breath caught at Erwin’s words. He froze obediently - so fast he should probably be embarrassed at how eager he was to do what Erwin said - with his ass clenching around his suddenly still fingers, buried inside him to the hilt.

“Levi. Did you stop?”

“Yes.” He huffed out, biting his lip desperately. _“Yes.”_

“Good boy.” Erwin crooned into his ear sweetly. “You’re so good for daddy.”

Levi whimpered, wanting to move. His hips twitched. He squeezed his cock once, and more pre-come oozed down his hand and onto his stomach.

“Now, I want you to tell me where your hands are. Go ahead.”

“I’m-” Levi started, swallowing, trying to regain control of his breathing. He’d been getting close, and stopping so suddenly had left his mind reeling. Vaguely, he wondered how Erwin could have so much control like this. Wasn’t he jerking off too? “I’m touching my ass. Still two fingers, and I’m holding my dick.”

“Alright. Add another finger. Hold your ass open with your other hand. ”

Levi whined at Erwin’s command, twisting for the lube so he could obey. He added more between his thighs haphazardly, beyond caring by now if he made a mess. It was enough to make his palm slip against the slick on his ass cheek when he went to hold himself open, until he dug his fingers into the muscle sharply and gripped. The two on his other hand glided back inside him smoothly, though, and he nearly sighed with relief before he scissored them and worked in the tip of a third.

“How does it feel?” Erwin said when he heard his breath stutter.

“Its tight.” Levi gasped, his toes curling.

“Go slow.”

Levi didn’t want to go slow. Just a little of his third finger had him stretched, giving him a teasing taste of the fullness he loved so much. He could feel it through the slight discomfort, and he wanted all three of them in all the way immediately, stuffed as deep inside of his ass as they would go. Somehow he managed to listen to Erwin, though, pausing when the burn made him clench around his fingers, waiting until he adjusted before he shifted his hips to resume pressing them in more.

By the time he’d worked all three in Levi was panting, and he could hear Erwin breathing heavier into his ear as well.

“Now what?” He said, a high note lacing his voice.

“Can you fit four?”

Levi’s mouth fell open, his eyes fluttering closed as he struggled to answer. He’d twisted his fingers inside himself and lit his nerves on fire with pleasure, and it was hard to think over the cloud of it that had settled in his head. “H-hah. Daddy-”

“Can you? Levi?”

_“Yeah.”_ He moaned, rubbing his rim with the tip of his pinky.

“I thought so. I had to stop you from doing it last time, didn’t I?”

Erwin was right, and Levi whined an affirmative at the memory and at his words. He had wanted to do it before, yes, and he certainly wasn’t abject to doing it now. If Erwin wasn’t here to fuck him, it was probably the next best thing besides a dildo anyway, so with that thought in mind he spread his legs wider and planted his feet flat on the bed.

“Go ahead, then.” Erwin told him. “Its alright to touch yourself. But don’t come.”

Levi’s free hand shot to his aching dick faster than he’d ever thought possible, tugging at it once while he reached for more lube. The friction from jerking off made it easier for him to work his fingers back into his ass when he started - this time with his pinky tucked underneath them - but that didn’t stop him from nearly biting his lip bloody by the time they were buried up to his knuckles. He’d gone faster than before when he’d added the third, and he felt stretched impossibly wide now, his thighs trembling and his hips held frozen off the bed as he waited to adjust.

“How does it feel?” Erwin asked him again a moment later, his voice hoarse and starting to sound a bit strained.

“Good. It feels good, daddy, I wish it was your cock-”

Levi moaned at the thought, starting to stroke himself quicker again as he shifted his fingers. The sensations from both had him arching, and he dug his heels into the mattress so he could meet the renewed movements of his hand with his hips eagerly.

“I know.” Erwin responded immediately. “So do I. When I get back, you can have it all you want. I want to fuck you again, Levi, over and over. You take daddy’s cock so well and you’re so tight, I don’t know if I could ever get enough of it. Maybe if you don’t come until I tell you to, I’ll let you ride me. How does that sound?”

At this point, Levi was too far gone to register Erwin’s words about not ever getting enough of him, much less to start to worry about what he meant by it. The rush of them from Erwin’s mouth just made him touch himself quicker and more desperately, remembering what it felt like to have Erwin pounding into him, holding him down and kissing him and digging his fingers into his skin.

He stopped, though, suddenly, with a desperate groan at the last thing Erwin said. He’d almost forgotten that he wasn’t supposed to come, and after so long spent fingering himself, not to mention the fact that this was the second time he was painfully close to the edge, his balls were starting to ache. He felt tense all over now, tight like a stretched wire, and he whined as his hips bucked almost on their own for more friction.

“Are you close?” Erwin asked then, as if he could sense Levi’s trembling muscles and the knot in his belly, growing and clenching tighter when he stroked himself again.

“Yes. Yes, daddy, please-”

“Alright, you can come. Let me hear you.”

Levi couldn’t have kept quiet even if he wanted to. As soon as Erwin spoke he reached inside himself with his fingers as far as he could go, moaning unabashedly while his middle knuckles teased at his prostate and made his back bow sharply. He jerked his cock quickly, and a second later he released, so hard that he spurted milky white come all the way up to his chin.

He barely noticed though, too busy gasping for breath and shaking with pleasure, his entire body rigid with it as his mouth hung open in a now silent cry. When it faded a bit he let out a few more breathy sounds, collapsing onto the bed just in time to hear Erwin groan in his ear.

It was the only sound of pleasure he’d made the entire time, and it had Levi shifting so he could get closer to the phone.

“Did you come, daddy?” He panted, because he wanted to know.

“Yes.” Erwin said, gasping too. “You sounded amazing. I wish I could see you. I want to kiss you.”

Levi imagined him propped up by pillows, his cock hanging out of his pants from where he’d been jerking off and white stripes all over his stomach. He swallowed, suddenly feeling a sense of wonder that Erwin had come like that from thinking about him.

His comment about wanting to see him made Levi blink, though, and gave him an idea.

“Hold on.” He said, grabbing his phone and opening the camera.

He raised it above his head, keeping his legs spread and making sure that as much of the mess he’d made of himself was in the shot - especially the lines of drying come - and then took a picture. Attaching it to a message, he sent it, and within seconds he heard a text tone from Erwin’s end of the line.

“How’s that?” He asked, imagining Erwin pulling his phone away from his ear to check the screen.

“Oh.” Erwin started. He sounded a bit surprised, and Levi’s heart skipped a beat. He nearly grinned. Technology was fucking amazing.  “You look mouthwatering, Levi. If I was there, I’d lick you clean myself.”

_For fuck’s sake._ Erwin’s words made Levi flush, and wish for what was probably the hundredth time that night that he was actually in the room with him like he’d said.

“Do you ever stop talking shit?” He murmured though, willing himself not to think about Erwin licking come off his stomach lest he get another boner.

He was only 24, after all, it wasn’t like it took much.

Erwin chuckled at that, and then paused. “I can’t help myself, I suppose.”

“I should clean up.” Levi said then after another brief moment of silence, realizing how disgusting he felt.

He was practically covered in lube, come, and sweat, and he was going to have to shower now before he went to bed. He’d have to change his sheets, too, and it had gotten so late that he knew he was probably going to regret this in the morning. Right now, though, regret was the last thing he felt.

As Erwin agreed with him and they ended the conversation, saying their goodnights, Levi found himself lying on his bed for a minute more after his phone went silent, reflecting on what had just happened.

When Erwin had asked to call him, he certainly had not expected it to go like that. In the end, they’d still had phone sex or whatever, but nothing about what they’d done for the past 2 and a half hours had felt meaningless.

The thought made Levi’s heart flutter before he could stop it, a warmth bubbling up inside his chest that was so strong he felt almost buoyant with it. The dread and anxiety that had come with his first realization that he’d had a crush on Erwin was gone now, replaced by something else that he could only describe as a quiet hope. It settled in his belly and perhaps it was too soon, perhaps none of this would amount to anything, but for now, he couldn’t shake the thought that what was happening might lead to something else.

After a moment, he realized what he really felt deep down: happiness. It was because of Erwin, and it stayed with him for the rest of the night until he finally went to sleep, and all through the next day while he was in class and working his job. Just when he began to lose it, when he realized it had been almost two days and he hadn’t heard from Erwin again, he got a text that made it all return again in full force.

_When I get back, I want to see you again, Levi._ It said, causing his breath to catch in his throat.

_Okay._ He replied, his stomach flipping once. _When?_

_How about Friday?_

Friday. That was about a week from now, and on a day when he didn’t have to work. He only had class until 4:00 PM, so once that was over he would be free.

_I can be there by 5._ He told Erwin, hoping that he hadn’t meant during the day.

_That’s perfect._ He replied though, and that was that.

Levi was looking forward to it already.

It helped him get through his week, and he even felt upbeat enough that he was able to visit his mother twice. First on Monday, and then again on Wednesday like always. That was when things took an unexpected turn nearly into the negative, when he arrived at Kuchel’s suite to a tall, lanky, degenerate surprise waiting for him.

It was his Uncle Kenny, and once Levi walked in and saw him sprawled over the couch and drinking a beer, he stopped in surprise and couldn’t help his face from twisting into an ugly scowl.  

“Levi.” Kuchel said, standing up to give him a hug in greeting. “Look who came to visit.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are you going to let me suck you off like you promised?” Levi asked then, referencing their last risque phone conversation before moving his hand so that he could pop open the button on Erwin’s pants. “I wanna taste you again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another huge thank you to everyone reading this fic and everyone who has commented and left kudos! Thank you for your support :)

Levi found himself half-heartedly returning his mother's hug when she took him in her arms, only because he was too busy frowning at his Uncle Kenny over her shoulder.

Kuchel may have been happy to see him, but Levi was not, because he’d learned over the course of his life that her brother’s presence usually ended up causing them more difficulties than it was worth.

Already he could tell that fact wasn’t going to change anytime soon, because he immediately noticed a second beer just like the one Kenny was drinking on the table next to where his mother had been sitting. He'd obviously given her one, and Levi’s scowl turned into a glare when he noticed that it was half empty. Kuchel was not supposed to have alcohol.

“Kenny.” He muttered after she ended their hug, his voice monotone.

It was as much of a greeting as he was going to get, and after avoiding his gaze Levi stalked forward quickly to get rid of the bottle as discreetly as he could. Basically, that consisted of him snatching it up and carrying it to the kitchen, tossing it into the trash can angrily after he poured what was left in it down the sink.

“Hey, shrimp.” Kenny replied before he walked into the other room, just as oblivious to Levi’s aggravation as Kuchel thankfully was to his discarding of her drink.

“What are you doing here?” Levi asked him when he came back, hoping that it was not because he wanted something.

This was the first time Levi had seen him since Kuchel had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and he wasn’t even sure how he’d found out about it or where she was living. It was certainly possible that his mother was talking to him without Levi knowing - not that he would have forbidden her from doing it, or anything, but it would’ve been nice to have some kind of warning that he was going to have to deal with his uncle. Especially considering what had happened at the end of their last meeting.

That would never happen, though, because Kenny had been like this for most of Levi’s entire life, showing up out of the blue and then disappearing again for months or years at a time. He used to be a cop when Levi was little, although surely a crooked one, but now he was retired and worked as some kind of bodyguard part-time. From what he’d gathered over the years, Levi was pretty sure he worked for the mob.

“Is that any way to greet your beloved uncle? After you haven’t seen me for so long?” Kenny joked, sipping his beer.

Levi sat down and remained stony-faced, his expression only softening after he saw Kuchel start to wring her hands. She knew the two of them didn’t really get along, and either had not forgotten, or was just picking up on some of the tension in the air. He didn’t want to do anything to cause her stress or to get upset, of course, so he sighed, relaxing as best he could in his seat.

“I’m just wondering if you’re dropping by, or planning to stay.” He lied, hoping that against all odds it was the former.

Of course it wasn’t, as Levi’s luck had apparently run out for the week. “Nah, I came because work’s run out in the city and I heard my baby sister was sick. I thought I’d stay here so I could visit with her. It was sure nice of you to let me know.”

 _Great._ Levi thought, because he knew that meant that Kenny was going to be staying with him, and for who knew how fucking long. ‘Work running out’ was pretty vague considering what kind of ‘work’ Levi suspected that he did, but even if he wanted to ask, Levi decided it was probably better for him not to.

“Well, it wasn’t like you had any trouble finding out yourself.” Levi said a moment later, addressing Kenny’s last comment. “And last time we needed your help, you wouldn’t answer your damn phone, so why the fuck would I call you now?”

So much for not stressing his mother out, Levi thought, cringing even as he spat the vitriolic words. He couldn’t help it, though, because it was true. Kenny hadn’t ever done much for them in the past, so why would Levi expect him to drop everything and come help them now?

Besides, it wasn’t like he could do much, anyway. In Levi’s opinion, he had everything under control and they didn’t need him, and assisting them wasn’t as easy as Kenny seemed to think. Just because he knew Kuchel was sick didn’t mean he knew the finer points of it, like how to calm her down when she got upset, or what to do when her memory lapsed. Did he know what time the nurse came by each day, what medications she had to have, and how it affected her diet?

No, he fucking didn’t, because he hadn’t been around. Levi had learned all of it by himself, had become his mother’s caretaker on his own, and if Kenny thought he was going to waltz in and pretend that everything was normal and that he wasn’t a piece of shit, then he had another thing coming.

“Levi.” Kuchel said then, interrupting his dark thoughts. Her voice was soft, and she could probably sense his growing anxiety. “Come sit by me.”

Kenny grunted when Kuchel shoved him over roughly, forcing him to make room so she could slide into the middle of the couch. Levi shuffled over from his chair and sat down next to her, crossing his legs and arms when she started asking him questions.

They were all the usual ones - how’s school? what have you been up to? meet any new friends? - and Levi had no updates for her. The only thing new in his life was Erwin, and as he still had no idea exactly what that was about, he wasn’t going to bring him up now - especially with his shitty uncle in the room.

“Have you been cooking?” His mother asked him then, despite the fact that they’d had this exact same conversation two days ago, and a week and a half before that, and probably even once every single month for the past half a year.

“No, mom. I don’t cook anymore.” Levi responded patiently.

Beside Kuchel, Kenny was now chewing on a toothpick. He appeared distracted, but Levi knew he was listening to every single word they said.

“Why not?”

“I don’t have time.”

It was the excuse he always gave, because he knew he could make time if he really wanted to. He didn’t see the point though and had no motivation to cook, not when he would never get to use his recipes or skills in the real world. Maybe when he graduated college and finally had the shitty office job he was destined for he would cook again, but right now the thought of it just made him feel melancholy and bitter because it was nothing more than a reminder of his frustrating circumstances.

“Don’t you miss it?” Kuchel said then, causing Levi to raise an eyebrow and look her in the eye.

That was different; usually when they had this conversation she would frown and chastise him teasingly, telling him that he shouldn’t let his skills go to waste, or praise him for being responsible and focusing on his grades. It depended on what kind of mood she was in, and he usually took either response with a grain of salt, responding automatically with whatever it took to appease her.

This time, though, her question made him pause. He did miss it, he knew instantly, missed the distraction that came with losing himself in the kitchen and conquering a difficult recipe, or the gratifying feeling he got when someone tasted his food and loved it. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it though, and he wasn’t about to cause his mother any more unnecessary emotional strain by saying yes.

“Not really.” He lied, shrugging.

“Well, I do.” Kuchel said then, her tone going despondent. “The man at the grocery store was always so nice. He was kind to my son, and once he asked me out on a date. I wanted to but I was stuck at my damn job that night, and after that he never asked again.”

Levi bit his lip at that, his brows drawing down as he stared at his mother. She was facing straight ahead and had a blank, almost dream-like look on her face. Her eyes were unfocused, and he knew what was happening.

She was talking to herself, something that happened sometimes out of the blue like this. When it did, she would seemingly forget that anyone else was in the room with her and start babbling about things that either didn’t make sense, or that Levi couldn’t understand. Right now he supposed it was something he had no memory of, because he had no idea what grocery store man Kuchel was talking about.

Averting his eyes while she continued, Levi swallowed the lump that had suddenly welled up in his throat and caught Kenny’s gaze over Kuchel’s shoulder. He was listening to her and frowning thoughtfully, the toothpick hanging out of his mouth as he turned toward Levi to raise an eyebrow.

Levi knew what was going through his mind. He was just now realizing what was happening to her, or rather, it was finally registering after he’d seen it first hand. It was something that he’d gone through too, albeit more slowly because he’d watched her decline from the beginning. Judging by Kenny’s questioning look, he was now asking Levi if this was what she was always like.

He nodded once in response, and then looked away. Her mind actually seemed to be working rather well today other than this one slip, but her personality, Levi knew, was nothing like it had been the last time Kenny had seen her.

Good. Levi found himself thinking. The bastard needed to know what had been happening while he’d been gone.

“Mom.” Levi said after that, gently interrupting her as she continued to talk and her speech became more and more unintelligible.

At the sound of Levi’s voice, she stopped, and looked over at him with an expression of surprise on her face as if she’d just now remembered he was in the room. That was exactly what had happened, he knew, and it almost didn’t phase him because he was so used to it. Kenny, on the other hand, seemed a little troubled, because he was frowning deeply and rubbing his face as if he was in thought.

For a moment they were enveloped in silence while Levi watched his mother to make sure she wasn’t going to become upset, until Kenny apparently decided that the best thing to do to combat what had happened was to start telling a bunch of stories about the shit he’d been doing in the city. Levi only half-listened because he didn’t care and wasn’t impressed, and just remained sitting next to his mother until he heard a knock on the door.

Judging by the time it was Hange, and when Levi got up to let them in, he fixed them with a meaningful, annoyed look that had everything to do with his uncle. Hange picked up on it easily, of course, stopping when they saw him on the couch and looking back at Levi as if to confirm he was the subject of his ire.

Levi nodded slightly but said nothing, because his mother was getting up to approach Hange with a smile. Apparently she was eager to introduce her nurse to her brother, because she motioned for Kenny to get up too and took Hange by the shoulder.

“Hange, this is Kenny, my big brother.”

“Ohhh!” Hange said at that, smiling for what Levi assumed was Kuchel’s sake and shaking Kenny’s hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Kuchel talks about you all the time!”

Their words caused Levi to make a face, because what the fuck? Did his mother really go on about her brother to Hange? She certainly hadn’t mentioned anything about him to Levi in months, and he didn’t know whether to be put out by it or not.

“Well, is this our cue to leave, kid?” Kenny said to Levi after that, pulling out his keys when Hange went to get Kuchel’s medicine. Levi nodded once but said nothing else, eyeing his uncle testily as he gestured towards the door. "C'mon then. I'll give you a ride home."

"I'll be out in a minute." Levi told him, crossing his arms and staring in the direction his mother had disappeared in.

“Alright, whatever.” Kenny mumbled, shaking his head but seeming to get that Levi wanted to see Kuchel without him in the room.

Luckily, he gave him privacy, yelling a goodbye to Kuchel himself and telling her he’d be back before walking out the door. Levi did want to say goodnight to his mother himself, but he also wanted a chance to talk to Hange, to find out if they knew anything about how Kenny had ended up here and to warn them about his behavior. First, though, he had to hide his worry, and tried to make his face blank when Kuchel came back into the room, chewing on his lip so that he wouldn’t frown.

"Mom." He said to get her attention, walking towards her when she stopped as Hange respectfully disappeared into the bedroom.

This time when Kuchel wrapped her arms around Levi he returned the hug, even going so far as to press his face against the top of her shoulder when he caught a whiff of her familiar scent. So much about her had changed over the past few years, he thought vaguely, but somehow she still smelled like flour and vanilla as she always had. It comforted him despite everything, as did the thought that no matter how old he got, he apparently would be unable to resist the call of his mother’s comfort.

It should embarrass him at this age but right then he didn’t care, because Kenny’s appearance had caused his mood to sour and he was finally feeling a little less tense. He still huffed a bit when Kuchel kissed his cheek though, cupping the other with her palm before pulling away.

"Cook something for me." She said quietly, holding Levi’s face in her hands and smiling at him. "And be nice to your uncle. He means well."

"Bye, mom." Levi told her at that, rolling his eyes at the last part.

He’d heard that before - numerous times - and if he was going to be nice to Kenny, the idiot would have to prove what his mother said first. Right now he was still annoyed with him, and he was sure it showed when his mother had been directed to bed and Hange came back out.

“Do you know why he’s here?” Levi blurted immediately, making sure to keep his voice low so that his mother wouldn’t overhear even from the other room.

“Your uncle? You mean you didn’t know he was coming?”

“No, I didn’t know shit. Did you?”

“Yeah, your mother has been talking about it for weeks! She was so excited, I thought-”

“What the fuck?” Levi blurted at that, barely managing to not throw his hands up into the air. “I didn’t even know she was talking to him. He hasn’t been around in years, and the last time I saw him he’d come to ask for money to pay off his gambling debt. Mom tried to help him because she’s always too nice to him, but when she gave it to him he just went straight back to the casino. Then I broke my fingers punching him in his shitty face.”

For some reason, that made Hange laugh, a loud sound that they covered up with their hands a few minutes later. “You punched him? How old were you?”

“I dunno, like 17, why does it matter?”

“How did you reach?” Hange snickered, their words making Levi’s face drop instantly.

“Fuck you.” He said, turning to leave, more irritated that Hange didn’t seem to be taking his concerns seriously than their jab about his height.

“Wait!” Hange said, grinning as they grabbed Levi’s arm to stop him. “I’m sorry. I’ll keep an eye on him for you, okay? I’ll make sure the people at the front desk alert me if he comes to visit again by himself so I know he’s here. Will that make you feel better?”

Levi bit his lip, pausing to think. The main thing he did not want was his uncle alone with his mother for long amounts of time, and unfortunately, Levi had no way of making sure that didn’t happen for the same reasons he’d had to put his mother in assisted living in the first place. He had work and school and - he dared to hope - more of Erwin, but if Hange did what they said and made sure they knew when Kenny was around so they could check on her, then he supposed his mind would be eased a little.

Hange had proven to be a reliable and considerate caretaker, after all, and Levi trusted them.

“Yeah. Just text me if he’s acting like a dick. And he gave mom a beer before I got here, just so you know.”

“Right. If I catch him with alcohol, I’ll confiscate it!” Hange told Levi with a wink, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder to lead him to the door. “Don’t worry about it, okay? Your mom is one of my favorite patients! I’ll take good care of her.”

Levi nodded, mumbling a thank you and feeling marginally better - until he walked outside and had to face his uncle again, anyway. It took Levi a minute to find him, because the last time he’d come to visit he’d been driving some old, rusty, beaten up muscle car, and now he was sitting in, well, it actually appeared to be the same car, only it had been given a shiny new paint job and didn’t look like it was about to fall apart. It sounded like it had a different engine too, because when Levi walked up Kenny revved it loudly from where he was sitting inside smoking a cigarette, and it wasn’t followed by the car emitting a large puff of dark smoke.

“Like what I did with my darlin’, shrimp?” Kenny said with a grin when Levi climbed inside, patting the dashboard with more care than Levi had seen him show toward anything else.

"Mom isn't supposed to have alcohol, you stupid bastard! It fucks with her meds." Levi spat in response, scowling at him venomously.

He'd been civil with Kenny in front of his mother for her sake, but now, thankfully, that was over, and the last thing he cared about was his uncle’s stupid car. To show how little of a shit he gave and how irritated he was, he slammed the door behind him, throwing his bag in the back seat before jerking on his seatbelt.

"Jeez, watch it." Kenny muttered, cringing at the rough treatment of his ‘darlin’ before he gave Levi a dirty look of his own. He flicked his cigarette out the window and began to drive away, and waited until they were on the main road before speaking again. "How was I supposed to know she can’t have beer? We used to drink it all the time! She took it and didn't say shit."

"You don't fucking get it. She probably doesn't even remember that she can't have it now. She can barely remember when to take her pills herself, much less keep up with what they do to her. Why do you think she’s living in a place like that?"

At that, Kenny went silent again because presumably, he knew Levi was right, running a hand through his hair while he kept the other on the steering wheel. He was only a few years older than his sister, Levi knew, and had aged just as well as she had in regards to his looks. His face only held a few more wrinkles than hers, and the only thing giving away his age was his slightly greying hair.

Apparently, he resembled his mother while Kuchel got her looks from their father - or at least that’s what she had told Levi - but from what else he’d heard, Kenny didn’t act like either of them. His grandparents had been killed before he was born, but his grandfather had been a rabbi and his grandmother liked to cook for the homeless. That’s where Kuchel had learned to cook, while Kenny did drugs and stole and eventually ended up as a crooked cop who always smelled like stale beer.

Levi stared out the window angrily while thinking about it, the thought occurring to him how unfair it was that his kind-hearted, caring mother who had sacrificed so much for him ended up sick like this while her dumbass, chain-smoking, nearly alcoholic piece of shit older brother was perfectly healthy. Thoughts like that were doing nothing to calm Levi down though, so he tried to force them out of his mind, focusing on the sounds of the other vehicles passing them by on the highway rather than the tense mood on the inside of this one.

"How long's she got?" Kenny eventually asked a few minutes later, when they reached their exit ramp.

His voice had gone about as soft as it probably could, but when Levi looked over his expression was unreadable. He almost didn’t want to answer, but he supposed that would be childish, and he probably had no choice. If Kenny could find out that she was sick and where she was living, he could probably find out that information too.

"It's hard to tell. Her doctors say maybe 5-6 more years, at the rate she's going now. But she won't even know who she is by then."

Kenny did not respond, and Levi wondered what he was thinking. Kuchel was his sister, and no matter how fucked up his ways of showing it were, Levi knew he cared about her in some way. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have come at all, but whether he was capable of feeling guilt for how much he’d missed, Levi did not know.

“You’ve dealt with this all by yourself, huh? It must’ve been hard.” He said a minute later, his comment far from what Levi wanted to hear.

It only made the scowl that was still on his face deepen further.

“What’s your point?” He practically spat, because yes, it _had_ been hard, and why was Kenny reminding him of the fact that he hadn’t helped if he wasn’t going to apologize?

“Nothin’.” Kenny muttered, and then sighed. “You just turned out like her, that’s all. She was always too damn selfless for her own good.”

Levi’s eyes widened and he looked over at Kenny in surprise, then back towards the window just as quickly. Even if he was pissed he recognized the words for what they were: a backwards compliment, and coming from his uncle that was high praise. But then again, to Levi, everything he’d done had been nothing. What was he supposed to do when his mother got sick? Abandon her?

The thought made him feel like shit, and he sat in the car brooding for the rest of the ride home.

“Listen, kid.” Kenny said when they pulled up into his driveway, before Levi could throw himself out of the car. The tone of his voice sounded a bit defeated, and it made Levi freeze and look over at him. He’d paused, and was biting his lip, but after a few more seconds he sighed. “I know I’ve been a shit in the past. But I’ve learned some stuff and I’m tryin’ to turn over a new leaf. What I mean to say is, family is important and I wanna help. Kuchel is my baby sister, and if there’s something I can do for her, just lemme know, got it?”

At that, Levi’s eyebrows raised so high in surprise that he was sure they were invisible underneath his bangs. It wasn’t an apology and barely an expression of guilt, but it was more than Levi had actually expected from him. However, he was quite sure that it was something his mother had heard many times before in her life too, and unlike her, Levi wasn’t going to be taken for a fool. If Kenny meant what he was saying, then as he’d thought earlier, he was going to have to prove it.

“We’ll see.” Levi said, opening the car door. “Right now, you can help by staying out of the way unless I need you.”

It was rude, but he didn’t care, and thankfully Kenny didn’t argue. Instead, he pulled a beaten up, ratty suitcase from his trunk while Levi unlocked the door to his house, and immediately made a beeline to his couch where he plopped down after dropping his bag.

"You're sleeping there." Levi told him, making his way to the beginning of the hallway that led to his room. “And don’t leave any lights on, unless you’re going to help pay the electric bill.”

"What? I don’t wanna sleep on the couch. It's just you and me here, shrimp, I know you've got two beds."

Levi frowned, his gaze drifting to the closed door across the den. It led to his mother's bedroom - a place he had not entered in months.

"Don't tell me you’re still sleeping in your fucking kiddy room?” Kenny said, throwing his hands up into the air, following Levi’s line of vision. “She’s not coming back here, y’know.”

“Fuck off.” Levi snapped viciously, as whatever remaining patience he’d had for dealing with his uncle finally ran out.

He didn’t wait for any kind of response, either. Spinning on his heel, he stalked down the hall towards his ‘kiddy’ room and slammed the door behind him, taking the two steps he needed to get to his bed before falling onto it and closing his eyes. Yeah, his bedroom was small, but what did it matter? He normally had the whole place to himself, and it wasn’t like he spent a lot of time in there anyway. The house was as good as his now, and he could do what he fucking wanted.

The excuses ran through his mind, making him scowl because deep down, he knew he was lying to himself. Really, he just couldn’t quite bring himself to make his mother’s room his own yet, because doing so would be like accepting she wasn’t coming back. He wasn’t ready to do that yet even if he knew, and even if he knew Kenny was right too it was none of his damned business. If Levi wasn’t going to use Kuchel’s room, then neither was he.

Levi’s sour thoughts continued as he laid there, a deep frown etched on his face while he reflected on the day’s events. He was exhausted after the tense night he’d had, and it didn’t take long for him to start drifting off. While half asleep he kept telling himself he needed to get up to change, but he just couldn’t make himself do it, and eventually he ended up falling asleep right on top of his comforter and still in his clothes.

He slept through the night like that and didn’t wake up until the next morning, rolling over with a groan after opening his eyes as he realized what had happened. What time was it?

Fumbling around in his pants pocket for his phone, he pulled it out and squinted at it, a rough curse leaving his lips when he saw that it was 9:48 AM.

“Fuck, fuck, shit-” He muttered to himself, suddenly feeling wide awake now as he practically jumped off his bed.

He had class at 10:45, and if he wanted to be there on time he had to make it to the bus stop by 10:00. It took him 15 minutes to walk there at least, and he hadn’t showered since the morning of the day before and was scheduled to work that night too.

Continuing his string of flagrant cursing, Levi practically ripped all his clothes off and threw on a new pair of jeans and a hoodie. Grabbing his backpack, he hoped that everything he needed was in there, and bolted out of his room and past his loudly snoring uncle on the couch. Then he was out the door and running to the bus stop, barely missing getting run over by a car as he rounded the last corner and came to a sudden halt.

The stop was still half a block away, but he was too late; he could see the bus, and it was already leaving.

 _“Fuck!”_ He cursed vehemently, wrenching his backpack off his shoulder and flinging it to the ground.

He stood there panting for a moment, red-faced with anger and trying to catch his breath, until a woman passed him from behind and gave him a wide berth on the sidewalk. Immediately, he felt embarrassed by his outburst, but he hadn’t been able to help it.

He was angry at himself for oversleeping, for passing out on his bed like an idiot without even taking a shower, not to mention still annoyed from having to deal with his uncle the night before. The way he saw it, this was partly his fault, because he’d gotten Levi so distracted and anxious that he’d forgotten to set his alarm.

Now he was going to be late to class, and it was one that he wasn’t doing particularly well in either. The professor was a hardass and didn’t give anyone a break - much less Levi, who only showed the minimal interest required in his subject - but today he was supposed to be going over what would be on their next exam.

What shitty luck, Levi thought, begrudgingly picking up his backpack and trudging over to the bus stop. He slumped down on the bench next to the woman from before, ignoring the apprehensive look she gave him, and began to wonder what his chances were of passing the exam when he was going to have to study the class’ entire book because he had no idea what was going to be on it.

Probably not too high, he decided, jamming his hands into his hoodie and praying that for once, the next bus would be a little early. That was his only hope for not missing too much of the class, but of course, luck was just not on his side that day.

Instead of being early the bus was late, and by the time Levi made it to university there was only 15 minutes of his class left. He crept in as silently as he could, unable to stop the embarrassed red flush from creeping up his neck, and tried to ignore the cold glare his professor gave him.

At that point, he was going over the last subject for their exam, and while Levi was grateful he got to take notes on at least one part, he didn’t understand it very well and began to feel a sinking, anxious pit in his stomach about everything else he’d missed. After class was over he decided to approach his professor, to explain to him what had happened in the hopes that he might at least cut him some slack.

“Mr. Dawk.” He said, shuffling through the other students towards the front of the classroom after they’d been dismissed. “I’m sorry I was late. I was visiting my mother last night and fell asleep, and I forgot to set my alarm and missed the bus-”

“You overslept, Ackerman? Do you really expect me to accept that excuse?” Mr. Dawk replied before Levi could even finish, fixing him with a nasty, condescending look.

Levi opened his mouth and then closed it again, fighting his initial instinct to talk back by biting his tongue. He knew asking for a break from this asshole was a longshot, but he figured he might as well try. Now, though, he wished he hadn’t, because he was getting pissed off. He’d apologized for being late, and yeah, it was a bad excuse, but it wasn’t like he’d done it on purpose or did it all the time. He was in class every day otherwise, and always turned in his work on time.

Briefly, he wondered if Mr. Dawk would reconsider if he told him _why_ he was visiting his mother, and what was wrong with her. He didn’t want to use her as an excuse though, or a crutch, so instead of responding, he just mumbled ‘never mind,’ and spun around on his heel to exit the classroom because he couldn’t bear to be in this bastard’s presence any longer.

The rest of his day wasn’t any less stressful, and neither was that night. By the time he got off work he just wanted to go home and relax, but when he walked in the door he had to deal with his uncle again, who had somehow made a complete mess of his living room after only being there for one day.

He barely had any time to himself before he had to go to sleep because he had another full day of long, boring classes tomorrow, and the only thing that was going to get him through it was the fact that he was seeing Erwin afterward.

Erwin, who he’d barely had time to think about in the past few days because he’d been so busy, and who the thought of now made a warm anticipation swell up in his belly. By the time 5:00 rolled around on Friday, he was so ready to see him and so in need of a distraction from all the bullshit he’d had to deal with that as soon as Erwin opened the door and let him in, Levi was pushing it closed behind himself and tugging him down for a kiss.

“Well, hello.” Erwin murmured against his mouth, a smile evident on his lips at Levi’s enthusiastic greeting.

The sound of Erwin’s voice was the most welcome thing Levi had heard all week, causing his heart to skip lightly in his chest. At the same time, he remembered what happened the last time he’d heard it over the phone and what they’d done, and a surge of heat lanced through his groin.

It had been three weeks since they’d last fucked, Levi realized, and suddenly, he was very, very, _very_ horny.

Crushing his lips against Erwin’s again, he dug his fingers into his shirt and pushed him backwards. There was a chair across the room that he was aiming for, and Erwin fell back onto it with Levi climbing on top of him before he could push his hands away.

“Levi, wait. You just got here, I-” He tried to say, but stopped when Levi reached between them to grab his bulge.

“I missed your cock, daddy.” Levi said, dipping his head down to place a wet kiss against Erwin’s neck, inhaling his scent, tasting his skin, and savoring the way his large, firm body felt underneath his smaller one.

He got the sense that Erwin had planned to talk, or do something else before they did this, but right now he didn’t care. Arousal was running through his veins, the first uplifting and stress-free feeling he’d felt in days. He wanted to forget, to ease his tension, and now that he’d gotten started he decided that unless Erwin was going to stop them, whatever he was going to say could wait.

Levi placed kiss after kiss after kiss on Erwin’s neck while waiting to see if he would, squeezing his growing erection through his pants, and arched his back to press his chest against him. It made his ass stick out, and when he felt Erwin’s fingers slide up his thighs and around to grip it he knew he’d won.

“Are you going to let me suck you off like you promised?” Levi asked then, referencing their last risque phone conversation before moving his hand so that he could pop open the button on Erwin’s pants. “I wanna taste you again.”

“I don’t remember promising anything.” Erwin said back immediately, his voice quiet so that Levi couldn’t tell whether he was teasing or not.

He squeezed Levi’s rear and pulled him forward though, so sharply that it made Levi lift his head up from his neck to look at him. He stared for a moment, wondering if Erwin was going to protest after all, but when he said nothing else Levi placed another quick kiss on his lips and climbed off his lap.

It was as much a test of Erwin’s control - something that he couldn’t help but do - as it was his desire to blow him, and whether Erwin decided to stop him so he could do what he wanted with him or not - well, Levi had a feeling that Erwin would not disappoint if he managed to rile him up.

Erwin let him settle on the floor between his spread legs though, allowed him to tug his pants low over his hips to free his cock. It wasn’t even fully hard yet but Levi’s mouth was already watering at how big it looked, and he leaned forward to latch his mouth around one of his balls. He suckled and watched him grow for a minute, glancing up over where his length was resting against his stomach at Erwin one last time to see if he was going to stop him.  

It was apparent he wasn't, his eyes lidded and locked onto Levi's mouth now, fluttering shut briefly when he moved to wrap a hand around him. His fingers teased at the velvety foreskin of his cock, dancing upward over a vein to where the head was just barely peeking out of it before he tugged it free. Then he ran his tongue over him, wetly following the trail his fingers had made to suck at the underside, at where the thin sheath of skin was connected to his length. It was usually a sensitive spot, Levi thought he remembered from somewhere, and he was proven right when he was rewarded with the sound of Erwin’s breath hitching from above him.

He did it again harder and then licked up the growing moisture from the tip of his cock, closing his own eyes to focus on how firm and warm he felt in his hand now that he was fully hard and how he tasted in his mouth. There was a saltiness from sweat and then a musky hint that was all Erwin, both flavors mixed with bitterness from the beginnings of the pre-come that had begun to leak from the tip.

Levi licked him again, sucked noisily at it before lapping along a vein more eagerly while Erwin slid his fingers into his hair. He had a hand on top of his head and one gripping his neck, his thumb pressing into his jaw and sweeping over his skin in a rough caress that only encouraged Levi to open his mouth more.

The grip Erwin had on him was firm, but he didn’t keep him still when Levi finally shifted to take more of his cock between his lips. He sucked on the full head lazily at first rather than just the tip, tonguing at Erwin’s slit and leaning over his lap, pushing himself closer against his groin until Erwin spread his legs and he finally sank completely between his thighs.

He dug his fingers into the top of one, lowering himself until Erwin bumped the back of his throat before he pulled off again. He let his cheeks hollow out, pulling at him eagerly with his mouth and went down again, then up, repeating the motions over and over again until his head was bobbing between Erwin’s legs in a steady rhythm.

Above him Erwin had started breathing heavier, quiet gasps leaving his throat that started to turn into groans when Levi would pause every so often to work him in deeper. He barely noticed, though, because he was so focused on what he was doing now now, done teasing him because he liked the way Erwin stretched his lips and how he felt sliding down his throat, so much so that he wanted to take him in all the way until his nose was brushing against the trail of blonde wiry hairs on Erwin’s belly.

It was quite a challenge to swallow that much cock though, especially Erwin’s which was so thick and long that it kept making Levi’s eyes water. His chin was covered in saliva and pre-come from it, and he was sure that he looked a mess. Erwin didn’t seem to mind of course, that was for sure, because every time Levi flicked his eyes up to look at him he was staring down at him intently from over flushed cheeks, his lips parted in an expression of pleasure that just made Levi work harder to fit him down his throat.

With Erwin’s encouragement and the fact that he’d remained still this entire time to help him, his thumb caressing his cheek and his palm rubbing his neck and his fingers running through his hair to help him relax, he eventually managed even if it was sloppier than he would’ve liked. The wet sounds of Erwin’s cock sliding in and out of Levi’s mouth were lewd, but it was probably nothing compared to how his face looked with Erwin’s entire length stuffed between his lips.

The thought made him groan suddenly, right where his face was pressed into Erwin’s stomach, before he managed to swallow. The sound Erwin made in response was so deep and low that it seemed to reverberate right through Levi in turn, and at some point he had apparently started palming at his own crotch without even realizing it. He bobbed up and down and swallowed again, breathing heavily through his nose and squeezing himself with his hand, and then found himself pulled away by Erwin who had suddenly grabbing at his shoulders.

It was all over as quickly as it had started, and Levi gasped harshly when Erwin’s cock slipped from his lips, continuing to swallow again and again to try and coat his now dry, aching, and empty throat. Erwin’s hands were cupping his cheeks before he even opened his eyes back up, his fingers wiping away the drool and come that had leaked from his mouth and rubbing at his swollen lips, guiding him upward and back into his lap where he’d been before.

His arms were shaking, Levi noticed somehow, and he had a second to feel a bit smug when he glimpsed the scarlet flush on his face and the heated arousal in his expression before they were kissing again. It was wet and desperate, hungry on Erwin’s end as his lips moved to devour Levi’s, and a second later he’d picked him up from the chair to carry him down the hall and to the bedroom. Whatever reticence he’d had before about doing this right away apparently gone now, and the thought just made Levi more excited.

He knew what was in store, and as Erwin held him, Levi wrapped his legs and an arm around him, tugging at his shirt with his other hand.

“Fuck me, daddy.” He panted, a teasing, almost coy tone to his voice as he sought to rile Erwin up even more. He licked at his neck, his teeth grazing across the skin, mumbling into the crook of it and squirming in his arms. “Please, daddy, fuck me hard, I need it, come on daddy, I wanna feel you inside me, you’re so big-"

Levi’s babbling was cut off when Erwin practically threw him down onto the bed, shoving his knee between Levi’s thighs and wrenching his wrists up over his head, crushing their lips together in a rough, electrifying hint at what was to come.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin paused for a moment, his eyes drifting up to Levi's face from where they'd been locked onto his ass. For half a second his brows were raised, Levi swore, as if he was surprised and hadn’t been expecting him to actually ask him to do this. Surely he wasn’t going to have to beg Erwin to gag him when he’d been the one to bring it up, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, thank you for the comments and kudos, its all very much appreciated. I tried to get this one out fast because of how I ended Chapter 3 (sorry) but kind of failed at that because Eruri week on tumblr distracted me. So instead, I beefed the sex scene up a bit in an attempt to make the chapter longer...hope you enjoy ;)

Getting Erwin riled up was worth it.

At least that’s what Levi found anyway, pleased to know he’d been right about his earlier assumption when Erwin aggressively pinned him to the bed. All of his boundary prodding and dirty talking had paid off, because he had never seen him this hurried before, and the sense of urgency to his touches and kisses were laced with a hungry desperation that just made Levi even more needy and impatient than he already was.

Erwin’s mouth was pressed down so hard against his that he got the sense Erwin was trying to devour him, and a single minute spent being kissed like that underneath all of Erwin’s bulk felt like an eternity. Even if it was an exaggeration it was long enough for Levi to start squirming, flexing his wrists against Erwin’s grip to test it and nipping sharply at his bottom lip when his limited movement did nothing to get his attention.

He did it hard enough for Erwin to pull away, fixing Levi with a dark, heated glance for half a second. He was breathing hard and looked flustered, the tops of his cheekbones covered in an even brighter red glow than they had been before. His hair was mussed too, and with no way to move because of Erwin’s hold on his wrists and the knee shoved between his legs, his hips pinning Levi down to the bed, he only had one weapon left in his arsenal to drive Erwin on: his mouth.

_“Daddy.”_ He gasped, tilting his head back to expose his neck, running his tongue across his bottom lip and watching as Erwin’s eyes immediately latched onto it. “Are you gonna fuck me or not? What are you waiting for? Come _on_ -”

For a moment Levi thought it had worked - and fast - because Erwin sat up and flipped him over onto his stomach abruptly, shoving a hand between his legs to unbutton his pants before jerking them over his hips. It finally freed his cock which had started to ache uncomfortably from its confines, and Levi immediately exhaled in relief, sure that Erwin was about to stop the teasing touches and really  get started because his ass was stuck up in the air right in front of his face.

Levi had used his renewed ability to move to angle it upward with his knees, and Erwin proved unable to resist the eyeful when he lifted his hands to brush his fingertips across the plump, bare skin. From how he began Levi expected a gentle touch, but he flinched suddenly when a split second later, Erwin brought his palm down across his right cheek sharply.

It caused him to let out a soft, surprised gasp, fisting his hands in the sheets because even though it hadn’t been terribly hard, Levi was already bracing himself for more. Was Erwin going to give him a spanking now? It wasn’t what he expected, but as the thought caused renewed heat to flare up in his groin, Levi didn’t mind at all.

Instead of slapping his ass again though Erwin’s same hand shoved itself between Levi’s legs, causing his gasp to turn into a harsh hitch of breath when he felt Erwin suddenly touching the slick, sensitive head of his cock. His fingers slipped across it teasingly and Levi’s hips bucked, but then he was held still again, one of Erwin’s thumbs spreading his backside so he could lick at him once, twice, and then three times, just enough to get him wet so he could slip two pre-come covered digits inside him.

“You’re a naughty boy. Sucking daddy’s cock without permission.” Erwin murmured from behind him, his voice rising above the choked off noise Levi had made because of his fingers.

Erwin had pushed every thick inch of them in up to the hilt, all the way up to his big knuckles, and with barely any lube the slide was rough enough to set Levi’s nerves on fire. He felt like he could feel the entire length of them up his ass, but still, he wasn’t complaining, because the burn and stretch was nowhere near enough to make him squirm away. Instead, he just arched his back to angle his backside up into the air for more, moaning lightly a bit when it shifted Erwin’s fingers inside him.

“You didn’t stop me.” Levi breathed out after he moved, turning his head onto its side so that he could see Erwin.

His comment earned him another slap on the ass, this one harder than the first, and one that made his eyes go lidded as he clenched around Erwin's fingers. A jolt of pleasure filled in his belly to accompany the sting, and his thighs trembled. If Erwin thought that spanking him was going to get him to quit mouthing off and lie still, Levi thought, he was sorely mistaken.

"No." Erwin replied, his voice low, dragging his fingers out slowly and pushing them back in, then scissoring them abruptly afterward and making Levi grunt. "I thought it might be a good use for your filthy mouth."

Levi almost let out a short, breathy laugh, one side of his mouth curving upward as he gripped Erwin’s sheets with his fingers again and rocked back against his hand. "Was it, daddy? Did you like how your fat cock fit down my throat?"

"Yes, but it doesn't seem to have kept you quiet.” Erwin replied behind him with the air of someone who was concentrating on their work, his brows drawn down and his eyes focused completely on the center of Levi’s ass.

“Maybe you should spank me more then. And harder. I barely felt that last one.” Levi panted in response, completely failing to hide how much he liked the idea and moaning low in his throat when Erwin’s fingers pushed deep inside him again and suddenly twisted.

It made pleasure tingle up his spine stronger than anything he’d felt so far, and it was so distracting for a moment that he had to bury his face into the bedding and almost missed what Erwin said next.

“No, you seem to enjoy that. I think the only way to keep you completely quiet would be to gag you.”

Levi groaned at that, the thought making him feel even hotter all over than he already was. He didn’t think it to be possible with how flushed and sweaty he’d become by now, but the image of Erwin fucking him while he was gagged was enough to make him almost dizzy with lust. Or maybe that was just because of Erwin’s fingers in his ass, twisting inside him again, moving in and out more quickly while the tips of them crooked suddenly in just the right spot. It made it hard for Levi to focus to figure it out, but either way, he wasn’t opposed to the idea, and after a second he turned his head around again to look at Erwin.

“Do it.” He said, his voice rough, his teeth digging into his bottom lip afterward to bite back a whimper.

Erwin paused for a moment, his eyes drifting up to Levi's face from where they'd been locked onto his ass. For half a second his brows were raised, Levi swore, as if he was surprised and hadn’t been expecting him to actually ask him to do this. He understood - it didn’t make much sense to him either on why he was so intent on pushing Erwin’s buttons but in the end actually wanted to be manhandled, pinned down, and fucked, but right now was not the time to contemplate it. Besides, Levi had pretty much come to terms with it by now, and surely he wasn’t going to have to _beg_ Erwin to gag him when he’d been the one to bring it up, right?

Thankfully, he didn’t, because a second later Erwin was pulling his fingers out and climbing off the bed, ridding himself of his clothing as quickly as he could before gathering lube and a condom and something else from a drawer.

It was a necktie, Levi realized, a white, blue, and navy striped one made out of silk that couldn’t have been cheap. He’d glimpsed it after twisting around onto his back to squirm out of his clothing too as Erwin returned, kneeling between his legs and taking the cloth inside both hands. Levi knew what he was going to do with it, and he opened his mouth obediently when Erwin leaned over him, letting him slide the soft material between his lips. He stared up at him as he bit down on it, his eyes going lidded, and then barely stifled a groan when Erwin fastened it around his head and pulled it so tightly that it cut into the corners of his mouth.

It wasn’t painful but it was enough for him to feel it, and he knew it would be a constant, arousing reminder that it was there if he happened to get too distracted. The material was soft against his tongue and already wet with his saliva, and best of all, Levi thought, it smelled like Erwin’s cologne. That realization did make him groan, the sound muffled and quiet from how he was now gagged, and he let his head drop back onto the bed as he closed his eyes, his cheeks burning now from his quick submission.

He wasn’t embarrassed though, he was turned on, so much so that he was nearly to the point of squirming out of desperation for Erwin to touch him again. Luckily he didn’t have to wait long, and his eyes opened again when he felt Erwin slide a hand up his thigh, his mouth on Levi’s neck before he pressed a quick kiss to where his lips were split by the gag. Their eyes met briefly before Erwin sat back to spread Levi’s legs, and Levi practically whimpered, arching his back, his toes and fingers curling into the bed in a silent plea for Erwin to finish what he had started.

He couldn’t speak because of the cloth in his mouth, of course, and although he could probably mumble something around it, Levi chose not to because he was playing along. Erwin had effectively shut him up like he’d said, and the only noises coming out of his throat were unintelligible sounds and breathy pants, growing louder and more frequent when Erwin finally pushed his fingers back inside Levi’s ass.

This time they were slick with lube and slipped in with ease, and Levi clenched around them when he shoved them in deep. Then he was working in a third finally, the sensation making Levi’s eyes flutter and a muffled intake of breath leaving his throat at the sudden fullness. It was nothing compared to Erwin’s cock though, Levi knew, and that was what he wanted, and when he was finally loose enough for Erwin to finger him with all three of his thick digits, he whined needily, impatiently, bucking his hips up eagerly for more even as he longed for Erwin to replace them with something else.

“You were right, Levi, the gag seems to have worked.” Erwin said then, teasing him with a light press of his fingertips against his prostate. It made his hips cant off the bed and a muffled cry leave his throat, his cock straining almost on its own in response to the jolt of pleasure. Levi was leaking all over himself, he knew, and he already felt the beginnings of his release building inside him. "You're being such a good boy for daddy now, but I'm not sure you've learned your lesson. Let's try this again to see, shall we?"

Levi wasn’t sure what Erwin meant, and before he could glance at him to look he was suddenly being guided over onto his stomach, scrambling onto his hands and knees himself when he realized what position Erwin wanted him in. He stuck his ass up into the air immediately, breathing hard through his nose and ignoring how much of the lower half of his face was wet with saliva now from the gag, hoping that the next thing he'd feel was the slick head of Erwin's cock nudging against his hole.

Much to his relief he did after Erwin took a moment to ready himself and put on the condom, but before he started pushing inside, he brought his hand down on Levi's ass cheek one more time. The smack echoed around the room and made Levi flinch out of surprise and from the sting, which made him hiss too because Erwin had hit him so sharply. The sensation traveled up his spine and felt good though, but Levi couldn't savor it for long because Erwin had ended his slap with a rough grope so that he could spread him and angle himself inside.

The sound Levi made at the sudden pressure was strangled, his eyes squeezing shut from how hard and unrelenting the slow slide of him was. It was enough to take his breath away and he trembled, and although the stretch was intense, Levi would never find it in himself to complain about being split by a big cock like Erwin’s.

He didn’t move and only made quiet mewling noises while Erwin thrusted shallowly, gently working himself in until he was pressed flush against Levi’s backside. He was panting, Levi could hear, and after a moment of adjustment, he twisted his head around, throwing his hands behind his back and hoping that Erwin would get the hint in light of the gag. He did, and grabbed at Levi’s wrists with one hand, fumbling a bit with a focused expression until they were tight in his grip and Levi’s arms were pulled taut.

“Good boy.” Erwin breathed, his voice rough, accompanying the small bit of praise with his first full thrust. “That’s good, Levi.”

In response, Levi groaned and pressed his face into the bed, exhaling through his nose only to suck the breath back in sharply when Erwin rolled his hips again, this time harder. He still wasn’t going very fast, but it only took a few more thrusts like that before he’d set a steady pace, and Levi was rocking back to meet him as best as he could so that together, they’d established a rough, unyielding rhythm.

Already Levi’s moans sounded loud to his ears even though he was gagged, but it didn’t help that because of the sharp, high angle of his ass Erwin sunk in breathtakingly deep every time. The big head of his cock struck Levi’s prostate with each forward push of his hips too, making his thighs flinch from the strong jolt of pleasure that ripped through him each time.

All in all, it was a satisfying fuck, because before long Erwin started going even faster and harder, using his grip on Levi’s wrists as leverage to pull him back so he could pound into him, and the only thing Levi could do was go still and let Erwin move him as he wanted so he could drive him into the mattress. His cries came each time Erwin plunged his cock back into him, but were muffled against the bed and the tie in his mouth. His breath came out hard and heavy in between the sounds he was making, the only thing drowning out all of it the loud skin on skin slapping noises that were coming from behind him.

Erwin was fucking him so hard that Levi could feel his balls slapping against him like he’d been able to last time, thrusting into him so sharply that it made the skin on his ass cheek sting from where he’d been spanked earlier. Now it just mixed with the pleasure so that Levi was clenching around Erwin’s cock though, the muscles in his thighs and belly growing so tight and tense that he was practically shaking with it. It all felt so good, so satisfying that he was drooling around the gag, flexing against Erwin’s tight hold on his wrists to savor it, completely unable to control the noises he was making by now every time Erwin thrust in.

They stuck in his throat, high-pitched and hinged on whimpers, until Erwin suddenly stopped with a harsh jolt of his hips. His grip on Levi became bruising, his hand squeezing him hard as he let out a low, drawn-out groan. He’d come, Levi realized, and buried himself so deep inside him that Levi imagined he could feel his cock pulsing.

The pause only lasted for a half a minute before he was pulling out though, flipping Levi over onto his back to replace his cock with his fingers. Levi watched him from over his cheeks, arching when Erwin started stroking him too and his mouth found a nipple. He was so overwhelmed and so close that he could do nothing but take it, and it didn’t take him long to finish like that, coming with a harsh moan and a sharp buck of his hips all over himself.

He shuddered, his eyes fluttering shut as he was enveloped by a wave of bliss, barely feeling the splashes of hot come that landed on his stomach. He gasped for breath and felt himself finally begin to relax after a moment, but was only dragged out of his half-coherent state when he felt the unmistakable sensation of Erwin mouthing up his chest. His lips trailed softly over the skin of his neck, his jaw, his chin as Levi opened his eyes, and then he was tugging the gag down so he could kiss him, a slow, lingering press of his mouth that left Levi tingling from his head to his toes.

When it was over he expected Erwin to roll off him, collapsing because he had to be worn out, but instead he moved back down again, and before Levi could even ask what he was doing he felt his wet tongue tracing over his stomach.

Erwin was cleaning him off, he realized, like he'd said over the phone, but somehow instead of being filthy like Levi had imagined it would be it just felt gentle, intimate somehow. His cheeks remained red while he watched Erwin's head shifting as he licked the come off him, and Levi swallowed before lifting a shaking hand to tangle it in his hair.

Then Erwin was crawling back up again, pressing his face into his neck, his lips curved up as he kissed along his cheek.

"You never fail to surprise me." He murmured after another moment, his fingers tangling in the tie that was still in Levi’s mouth and drawn tightly around his head.

Levi supposed that's what he was referring to, and if he was then Levi had been right - Erwin hadn't expected him to be so eager about wanting him to do it, apparently.

He bit his lip while Erwin untied it to toss it off the bed, sitting up after he gave Levi one more kiss and rolled off him. Levi meant to get up after that, to go to the bathroom so he could put his clothes back on, but Erwin stopped him when he shifted by wrapping a hand firmly around the top of his arm.

“You don’t have to go, you know.” He said, his blue eyes fixed on Levi after he twisted around, out from underneath mussed blonde hair. “I was going to ask if you wanted something to eat when you got here, before you pounced on me.”

His words made Levi scowl - because was Erwin seriously complaining about that? - but only for a moment, as what else he’d said soaked in. He was asking him to stay, to not leave right away after they’d had sex, and how could Levi say no when it made his heart skip in his chest? The idea of spending more time with Erwin was certainly appealing to him, of course, and he didn’t actually want to go just yet either when he thought about it.

“Okay.” He agreed, averting his gaze. “But can’t you at least let me take a shower first?”

Erwin smiled then, a soft breath of air leaving his throat in a laugh, and threw an arm over Levi’s waist. He pulled him back against his chest, mouthed at his neck, and then buried his nose into his hair all in quick succession. “You can take a shower. Mind if I join you?”

“It’s your shower.” Levi muttered.

He squirmed, but his cheeks were two bright red spots, burning warmly as a result of Erwin’s sudden bout of tender affection and the way it made his stomach twist. Erwin only kissed him again on his shoulder once more, swatting at his ass as he let go of him and he climbed off the bed.

That just made Levi flush even hotter, practically tripping over his own feet as he rushed into the bathroom so Erwin wouldn’t see. He managed to get the shower started before he followed him in, discarding the condom he’d used while they’d been fucking before pulling out two fresh towels.

They didn’t have sex again while they were bathing, but there was enough kissing and groping of slick, soapy skin while they washed each other off to make Levi hard again by the time they got out. Erwin couldn’t keep his hands off of him, it seemed, nor his lips, and it was almost inevitable that Levi found himself back in the place they’d just come from with Erwin’s blonde head moving between his legs.

He’d kneeled in front of the bed and pulled Levi to the edge, throwing one of his thighs over his shoulder so he could watch him while he licked at his ass. He did it slowly, thoroughly, tickling his rim and fucking him with his tongue for nearly twenty minutes, taking his time with him as if the only thing he cared about in the world was making Levi feel good.

It wasn’t like it was hard though, not like that, and it didn’t take long before Levi was trembling and mewling again, arching sharply off the bed while he jerked off and came for a second time that night with his other hand tugging at Erwin’s hair.

Then, they got dressed - or rather, Erwin put on pajama pants while Levi went in the bathroom to wipe himself off again. While he was in there, he glimpsed a large t-shirt hanging up that was obviously Erwin’s, and after sniffing it to make sure it was clean, threw it over his head on a whim.

It was comfortable, soft from what appeared to be much wear and wash, and so oversized that it fell down to the tops of his thighs. For some reason he liked the idea of wearing Erwin’s shirt, but it took him until he’d started leaving the bathroom to wonder if he shouldn’t have put it on, if it was too intimate or if he was taking too many liberties or something when they were ‘just fucking’. However, when Erwin passed him to go brush his teeth, Levi didn’t miss the lingering, appraising look he gave him over his shoulder, nor did he fail to notice the subsequent upward curve of Erwin’s lips as he caught sight of him.

He liked the image of Levi in his shirt too, obviously, and it made Levi have to bite his lip to stop himself from breaking out into a small smile, trying to ignore the stupid fluttery feeling and the growing pangs of longing that he kept getting around Erwin. Right now, he was enjoying spending time with him for better or for worse, and he didn’t want to worry about whether Erwin returned his feelings or not until later. There would be plenty of time for that after Levi left, and luckily, it was easy to distract himself once he wandered into the kitchen, finding himself drifting over to take a closer look at all of the appliances that Erwin had installed.

Erwin had, for all intents and purposes, a fully functional modern kitchen - which made sense considering how nice the rest of his apartment was. However, while every other room in it looked used and lived in, everything in here except for the dining table shined like new. There was an electric stove and an oven and a huge fridge, and various other cooking gadgets like a food processor, a toaster oven, a blender, and even an expensive stand mixer. All in all, it was ten times more fancy than the kitchen he'd learned to cook in, and Levi found himself inspecting each appliance intently until Erwin walked in a few minutes later.

"So, would you like to order takeout again? I can get it delivered." He asked, raising an eyebrow at Levi when he saw him gingerly fingering the buttons on the stand mixer.

Levi paused to consider Erwin’s words and looked over the kitchen once more, at the spic and span counters that looked like they'd never even seen a single spill. That thought, plus the fact that Erwin was offering him the same exact thing they’d eaten last time he was here made him turn, fixing him with a sharp, knowing stare. "Why do I get the feeling that shit is all you ever eat?"

"Well." Erwin started, his expression immediately going sheepish. Obviously, Levi had hit the nail right on the head. "I admit, cooking isn't one of my strong points. And usually I'm in a hurry or I get home late from work, and I don't have time for much else."

Levi listened to him talk, his gaze shifting in the direction of what he assumed was Erwin's pantry. It made his mind wander a bit, and for some reason he suddenly found himself thinking of what his mother had said the other day, the parting words she’d given him as he’d been leaving her suite.

_"Cook something for me."_ She'd told him, a hopeful smile on her face after Levi had just gotten done telling her he didn’t do it anymore.

At the time he’d brushed it off because he didn’t see his inspiration or motivation returning anytime soon, but now, standing in Erwin’s kitchen, not only did he feel like he could cook an entire meal, he actually _wanted_ to.  

"I can cook." He offered after another quick moment of debate where his mother’s words continued to echo around in his mind, speaking up quietly and looking back at Erwin.

"Really?" Erwin asked in response, a hint of surprise in his voice and on his face. Levi nodded, and for a second wondered if he was going to ask him more questions like he didn’t believe he could do it, but then he only smiled softly and shrugged. "Alright. That would be better than takeout, I'm sure. Did you have something in mind?”

“That depends on what you’ve got in here.” Levi answered, walking over to look inside the fridge.

Immediately, he frowned. There wasn’t much besides a carton of orange juice, a pack of bottled waters, four packs of hotdogs, and expired mayonnaise. The pantry, however, was a bit more promising. Mostly it was full of chips and snacks, but then he saw a large can of crushed tomatoes in the back and suddenly found himself thinking of spaghetti.

“There’s a grocery store right down the street. I can run and pick up anything you need.” Erwin was saying while Levi appraised his supplies, biting his lip in thought.

He didn’t want to impose or anything, or make Erwin go buy groceries if he didn’t want to, but the more Levi thought about it the more excited he felt to cook. He felt motivated to do it, inspired, even, because it had been so long and because Erwin's kitchen was so nice, so after a second he decided what the hell, and grabbed the can of tomatoes from the pantry before setting it on the counter.

“Do you like spaghetti and meatballs?” He asked, to which Erwin nodded without skipping a beat.

His eyes lit up almost comically, and Levi wondered exactly just how long it had been since he’d had a decent home cooked meal.

“Of course. What do you need?”

Levi opened his mouth to speak but then stopped, deciding that it would probably be better to write it down. He found a pen and a pad of paper stuck to Erwin’s fridge with magnets, and hastily scribbled everything he would need to make a quick but delicious spaghetti sauce and meatballs. Ideally, he would have made the pasta from scratch too, but it would take too long and since this was the first full meal he’d cooked in a long time, he supposed he should probably keep it all relatively simple.

Luckily, he’d noticed that Erwin at least had a full spice rack in his pantry, so there wasn’t actually too much he was going to have to get. He’d gone to throw a shirt on while Levi made his list, and when he came back and walked over to him, Levi tucked it into his hand so he could look it over quickly.

“Anything else?” He asked, bending slightly to slide an arm around Levi’s waist.

He pulled him forward and kissed at his throat, letting out a pleased hum when Levi hugged his neck. He squirmed, but didn’t protest out loud when Erwin began palming greedily at where his shirt brushed across the tops of his bare thighs.

"Maybe some garlic bread. And dessert." He mumbled, turning his head to allow Erwin to kiss his lips, all of their movements out here feeling so natural that it almost caught Levi off guard.

"Alright.” Erwin said while he blinked, soaking it all in. “Give me thirty minutes."

He gave him one more quick peck and stood up after that, slipping Levi's list into his pocket with his keys. Then he threw on his shoes and was out the door, and Levi spent the time he was away getting out pots and pans and the various other tools he would need to make their meal.

Erwin seemed to have everything, he found, and more. Levi saw at least one of nearly every single cooking utensil he'd ever heard of, and wondered why he even had all this shit if he didn't ever use it. It didn't make sense, but maybe he just didn't have anything else to spend his money on. Regardless, Levi wasn't complaining, and by the time Erwin got back he had everything laid out and was ready to start preparing dinner.

He'd gone over his mother's recipe for spaghetti sauce and meatballs several times in his head while he was gone, and was so focused and eager to cook by now that he barely noticed Erwin bending to kiss him on the corner of the mouth again in greeting before he started digging through the grocery bags.

Erwin had gotten everything he'd asked for and some cheesecake for dessert, and right away he got to work on making the meatballs first. He was a little nervous that he'd fuck something up or struggle a bit since he was likely out of practice, but once he got going he fell right back into the motions as if he'd never stopped cooking in the first place. He was almost in a trance as he moved about the kitchen, babysitting his sauce after he'd combined the ingredients and spices and brought it to a simmer. He was mostly quiet, but he was still aware of Erwin watching him, feeling the warm weight of his eyes on his back every so often from where he'd seated himself at the table.

He'd gotten a laptop out at some point, and was reading something for work he said, sipping on a glass of red wine while he waited for dinner.

"That smells wonderful, Levi." He told him, speaking up when he'd added the meatballs to his bubbling sauce and the spicy, warm scent of tomatoes and garlic wafted about the room.

Now all he had left to do was make the pasta, but before he started, he took a look at Erwin over his shoulder and decided to carefully bring him over a bit to taste.

“It’s delicious.” He said, after Levi had brought the spoon to his lips and he’d swallowed some of the sauce. “Where did you learn to do this?”

“My mother taught me.” Levi answered, turning to disguise his frown and so he could walk back over to start his noodles.

“Is she a chef?”

“No.” Levi almost scoffed. “She worked in a factory.”

“Worked? Is she retired?”

Levi paused, biting his lip and trying to decide what to say. Eventually he just settled for a quick ‘yes,’ because after all, it wasn’t a complete lie. His mother hadn’t been able to work at her former job in over a year and a half.

“I see. Well, you seem to enjoy doing it.”

“Yeah.” Levi said, blushing a little that Erwin had noticed and stirring his sauce. “It’s not bad.”

“Didn’t you say before that you didn’t like your major? Have you ever considered going to culinary school?”

Levi found Erwin’s words so ironic that he almost laughed. If only he knew. He wanted to tell him, to explain to him that yes, that had been his plan as a teenager. He’d had dreams of becoming an executive chef at a successful restaurant in a big city; certainly overly ambitious, but he’d been young. He would’ve been happy cooking anywhere as his job, truthfully, but then his life had been turned upside down and he’d had to go to business school instead.

Having thoughts like that though - thoughts hinging on bitterness and self-pity - made him feel guilty and selfish. None of it was his mother’s fault, and she was the one dying from a terminal illness, not him. Discussing it wouldn’t help him feel any better, and he still wasn’t sure whether it was something he wanted to talk about with Erwin.

After all, it wasn’t like he was Levi’s boyfriend or anything.

“I can’t. Its expensive.” He said instead, just telling him another half-lie. “Business school is cheaper.”

That part was true at least, because he’d been able to go to community college and secure funding after modifying his goals - something that would’ve been a lot harder to do if he’d gone to culinary school.

“Ah.” Erwin said.

Perhaps he could sense the reticence in Levi’s tone to keep discussing this, or had noticed the tension in his shoulders from across the kitchen, because after that he changed the subject to a more lighthearted topic. They kept talking during the time it took Levi to cook his pasta, and once it was al dente, the food was ready.

He brought Erwin a generous plate of spaghetti noodles, steaming sauce, and chunky meatballs all topped with parmesan cheese while he put his computer up, and then got some for himself.

“This is delicious.” Erwin told him again, albeit with wider eyes after taking a few bites. “Very, very good, Levi.”

He spoke with his mouth full, mumbling around bites of spaghetti and garlic bread. He sounded a bit awed, and Levi watched him with a warm feeling growing in his chest while eating smaller bites of his own. It wasn’t bad, he thought, for the first dish he’d made basically from scratch in what must have been over a year.

His mother would have told him he'd gone heavy on the salt, but Erwin didn't seem to notice. He liked it so much that he ate three helpings, and _god dammit_ Levi was in deep. Cooking had been able to distract him from his affection for Erwin - all the worse already because of his visit - but the fact that he liked his food so much made it infinitely worse.

Suddenly, it was obvious to him what was happening. He was getting attached to Erwin at an alarming rate, and he couldn’t believe how stupid he was being. Erwin had shown a few good signs that maybe he was interested in him for more than just sex, like talking to him on the phone and not rushing him out of his apartment, but that was it. It made him worry despite his earlier resolve not to, and his sinking feeling didn't go away even though they were talking about nonsense. It only got worse when a few moments later, Erwin finally finished his last helping and cleared his throat.

"Levi." He said, looking at him from across the table.

He'd been in the middle of one of the last bites from his own second helping, but Erwin's tone made him stop. It sounded serious, and from the way Erwin was gazing at him - intensely, with no smile - he felt his heart start to pound at what he might say. It turned out it wasn't anything bad, though, like he automatically feared, but the opposite, rendering every single thing he’d just been fretting about completely moot.

"Would you go out to dinner with me?"

Levi blinked, his lips parting, almost shocked at his question and from the abrupt shift in emotions he experienced. The irony that Erwin was asking him to dinner while they were eating didn't escape him either, and although his words made his stomach flip, he had to be exactly sure of what he meant.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" He blurted, his eyes wide and his voice struggling to stay even.

"Yes." Erwin answered. He smiled, but then it faltered a bit. "Only if you want to, of course. I know how this started, and you probably-"

"Okay. When?"

Levi couldn't help but interrupt him, assuming he was going to say something like 'you probably didn't think it would get this far' or 'you probably don't want to actually date me,' because he'd been wondering the same things about Erwin this entire time.

"How about Wednesday?"

_Fuck._

"I can't. I'm busy on Wednesday, I-"

"Alright. Next Friday, then? Are Friday's better for you?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Next Friday." Erwin said, giving him a warm smile. "Although, if you'd like to come over any night before that, you can. I'll probably be working at home, but I wouldn't mind the company."

"Yeah, okay." Levi said.

He set down his fork, immediately going over his schedule in his mind to try to figure out when he could come over again. Tuesday was probably the best day, but he could possibly make Monday work too. It might be hard, but he didn't know if he wanted to wait until Tuesday to see Erwin again if he didn’t have to. Apparently Erwin was thinking along the same lines, because suddenly he reached across the small table to grab Levi's hand.

"I’d be happy if you could.” He said, making Levi's entire face go red. “I like you a lot, Levi.”

He wanted to say 'me too,' because it was certainly true. He thought about Erwin day and night, and found himself almost aching to see him sometimes. It was only getting worse the more they talked and saw each other, but now the anxiousness that came with it didn't matter because Erwin apparently felt the same.

Instead of saying all of that, though, he just nodded because he was too embarrassed, swallowing before he looked at Erwin's hand and tangled their fingers together. He could do that at least, and they sat like that for a moment until he figured he'd better clean up their plates.

He stood up, but before he could grab anything he found himself pulled over towards Erwin by his hand. His arm went around his waist and he tugged him into a hug, and once Levi lifted a knee to half sit in his lap they started kissing.

It was more than the quick pecks Erwin had been giving him since they'd left the bedroom, but still soft, lingering. Erwin was warm and smelled like soap and his cooking, and Levi didn't want to pull away. Erwin did it for him, though, a second later, sliding a hand up over Levi's cheek before he fixed him with a small smile.

"Thanks for dinner." He said, his other hand sliding downward to cup his other set of cheeks, the ones on his backside. "I'm tempted to ask you to cook again next Friday instead of taking you out. I'm not sure any restaurant will be as good. And I definitely wouldn't get to see you like this."

He gave his ass a squeeze, obviously referring to the way Levi hadn't been wearing any pants this entire time. He was certainly exaggerating about his cooking now, too, and Levi rolled his eyes, shoving at his chest before he climbed off him.

"Tch." He scoffed, grabbing their plates and taking them to the sink. "Perverted bastard. Do you want dessert, or not?"

"Please."

Levi shook his head to get the cheesecake, but on his way noticed that there was a bit of spaghetti still left over. It was enough for one small meal, and he suddenly thought about his mother. He wanted her to taste it, he found, and he knew that it would make her happy as well.

"Erwin." He said, staring at it. "Can I take this?"

"The leftovers? Of course. You made it. There are containers in the cabinet above your head."

Levi looked straight up at Erwin’s words, at the cabinet nearly fucking three feet above him, and immediately narrowed his eyes.

“Ah!” Erwin stammered, the scrape of his chair loud behind Levi’s back. “I can-”

“I got it.” Levi snapped, sighing in a loud huff as he stood up onto his tiptoes, throwing the cabinet open and stretching, reaching with the ends of his fingers for a tupperware container that was of course at the very back end of the shelf.

He grabbed at the back of his shirt on instinct with his other hand when he felt the hem of it tickling the bottom of his ass, and turned around to shoot Erwin a waspish scowl because he knew he was looking. He wasn’t wrong - not only was Erwin watching him, but he was smiling and failing miserably at trying to hide it.

Levi wanted to be mad and knew he should be embarrassed, but the expression on Erwin’s face held something soft rather than teasing, something that drew Levi to him with their cheesecake after he’d spooned his leftovers into the tupperware. Maybe he could run it over to his mother tomorrow or Sunday, he thought, or Monday before he came back to Erwin's. It wouldn't be terribly fresh by then, but hopefully it would still taste good.

When he brought the dessert over he climbed into Erwin's welcoming lap again and proceeded to feed it to him, bite after bite until it was gone and there was nothing left but a smear of it on Erwin's bottom lip. He wiped it off with his thumb and sucked it into his mouth while keeping his eyes on Erwin's, and then set the plate aside hastily so he could kiss him. He grabbed at his neck and licked inside between Erwin’s lips when he parted them, the sweet taste and the wet warmth drawing him in.

He couldn't help it, couldn't help the pit of warmth that seemed to always dwell in his belly whenever he was around Erwin, especially now after what he'd asked him earlier. His mind had been a whirlwind with what had happened, but now that he'd had some minutes to digest it, he felt excited, almost euphoric. He didn't know how to tell Erwin it'd made him happy so he just showed him with his lips instead, kissing him deeply and pressing himself against his chest until Erwin broke away.

"If you were trying to get me hard again, you've succeeded." He breathed into Levi's mouth, shifting against him so he could feel it.

Levi kissed him once more, nipping at his bottom lip. He reached down between them, palming at Erwin’s hardness before he tugged it out of his pants.

“Are you clean?” He asked, because he’d had his third boner of the night since Erwin had asked him out to dinner, and now that Erwin had one too, he wasn’t going to let it go to waste.

Erwin paused for a moment, as if he wasn’t quite sure what Levi meant. A quick squeeze of his cock made him realize though, and then he nodded.

"So am I." Levi said, lifting his hips. He angled it between his legs just to make it clear that he was suggesting they didn’t use a condom, but didn't touch any part of it to himself until he heard from Erwin that he could. "Okay, daddy?"

It might not seem like the smartest idea to some, but Levi trusted Erwin, and apparently Erwin trusted him too because he nodded again without hesitation and let Levi ride him enthusiastically right there in the kitchen. He was still open from before, wet enough for Erwin to slide back in without much problem with just a little spit, and they both were groaning almost immediately when he lowered himself down.

Levi clutched at Erwin's shoulders with his hands and at his cock with his ass, his thighs trembling at how he could feel him penetrating deep inside, thick and long and hard enough to leave his jaw slack. He moved eagerly while Erwin assaulted his neck with hungry, biting kisses, holding onto his waist in a bruising grip while Levi rolled his hips over and over and over again.

When he came, it was with a muted gasp into Erwin's mouth from where he'd kissed him, shaking through it as he struggled to continue so he could finish too. His thighs were burning by then, but it didn't matter because Erwin just picked him up and deposited him onto the table. He vaguely heard the sound of him shoving their dessert plate away before he was on his back again, arching as Erwin thrusted in and out of him until he buried himself inside and suddenly, Levi was filled with thick ropes of wet, liquid warmth.

He groaned at the feeling of it because that's what he'd wanted: Erwin's come in his ass, and apparently Erwin was not against the idea either. When he pulled out, he kept Levi's legs spread and stared between his legs, watching the fluid leak out with lidded eyes as Levi pushed down.

"You're gonna have to wash your table." Levi said then, his voice hoarse from all the strain he'd put on it that night. "We got it dirty."

Erwin laughed at that, bending as Levi sat up to capture his lips. "We did. Very, very dirty."

He spoke the words between kisses, and Levi flushed hotly at them - although not in embarrassment. He felt impossibly light and upbeat, not to mention relaxed, and he didn’t even care that his shower earlier had just been a waste of fucking time. Unfortunately, though, he wasn’t going to be able to take another until he got home, because it was getting late and he had work in the morning, and he needed to get to the bus stop before he missed the last run.

“I gotta go.” He told Erwin, once he’d climbed off the table and cleaned himself up at least a little bit. “If I don’t I’ll miss the bus.”

“I can drive you home.” Erwin offered, a questioning note in his voice like he was asking if it was alright.

Levi paused for a moment, thinking about it. It would certainly be nice, not to have to take the fucking bus. It smelled and was dirty, and there were always weirdos on board this time of night. Also, it took him 45 minutes when by car it would only take half that time.

Erwin driving him home, though, was a little personal, wasn’t it? Didn’t it overstep some kind of boundaries? That thought went away as soon as it appeared, because it didn’t matter now. Erwin had asked him out on a date. He liked him. He’d _said_ so.

“Okay.” Levi answered a second later, and went to get dressed after Erwin smiled at him.

He located his pants and shoes, and pulled those on, and found his shirt. That he just tucked underneath his arm, deciding to leave Erwin’s huge, oversized t-shirt over his body. When they left his apartment to climb into Erwin’s nice car, he was still wearing it, and although Erwin surely noticed, he didn’t say a word.

They rode mostly in comfortable silence, with Levi only mentioning how fucking early he had to be at work in the morning with a groan once they got closer and he looked at the time.

“Where do you work? I don’t know if I’ve ever asked.” Erwin said, apologetically.

Levi shrugged. He hadn’t, but he hadn’t really mentioned it either. It wasn’t like his job was any fun.

“At a restaurant.” He explained. “I’m an assistant manager. It sucks. I wanted to work there because I thought I might get to cook, but they barely even let me in the kitchen.”

“That’s a shame. Their guests are missing out.”

“Quit exaggerating. I already said I would go out with you. It was just spaghetti. The pasta wasn’t even fresh.” Levi responded immediately, teasing Erwin for how he kept complimenting his cooking.

“Do you know how to make fresh pasta?”

“Yeah. Its not hard with a pasta maker.”

“I believe I have one of those in a cabinet somewhere.” Erwin said quietly, staring out at the road as if he was thinking.

Levi raised his eyebrows, surprised that Erwin would have an appliance like that when he lived off of takeout, just like he’d found it odd that he had so many other cooking utensils. It was strange, and he opened his mouth to ask why, but then closed it again because they’d pulled up on his street and Levi saw that his fucking uncle was out on the porch smoking a cigar.

“Dammit.” He cursed under his breath.

He’d been hoping he wouldn’t be around just so he wouldn’t have to deal with any unwanted, prying questions, especially because he didn’t want Kenny going off and telling his mother about anything weird he might have seen. Not that he was breaking any rules, he was an adult and her caretaker, after all, but he didn’t want her to worry or have to deal with questions about a boyfriend he didn’t yet have.

“What is it?” Erwin asked, putting his car into park outside Levi’s house.

The thought crossed Levi’s mind that Erwin intended to walk him to the door or some other gentlemanly shit like that, and while normally he wouldn’t have minded, that couldn’t happen now with Kenny outside.

“Nothing, it’s just my bastard uncle.” He said, turning in his seat, reaching over to grab at Erwin’s shirt so he could plant his lips onto his before he got out of the car. “Thanks for the ride, _daddy_.”

With that, he climbed out and shut the door, and looked over his shoulder one last time to see Erwin wearing a tiny smile through the window. He had to hide his own in response, and the blush that threatened to overtake his cheeks after their kiss had left his lips tingling so he could appear nonchalant in front of his uncle.

“Heya, shrimp.” Kenny greeted him, a cloud of stinky cigar smoke surrounding his head. “Where ya been? Who was that in the nice car? You got a sugar daddy or something? Why don’t you ask him to order us dinner?”

Levi rolled his eyes, ignoring his every word and walking right past him on the porch. He slammed the door after he entered the house and hid the food he’d brought home for his mother in the fridge, and immediately retreated to his bedroom where he undressed down to just Erwin’s big shirt.

Climbing into his bed, he set his alarm so that he at least wouldn’t be late to work in the morning, and fell asleep, the memory of Erwin’s dinner proposal the last thing he thought about before he drifted off into darkness with a tiny smile on his face.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was not how Levi had planned to spend his evening. He needed to study, to start learning all of the shit he was going to have to cram for Mr. Dawk’s next exam, not play some kind of dick pic exchange game with Erwin. However, his frustration was futile. There was no way he was going to be able to say no when all he’d thought about for most of the day was Erwin anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the Lana Del Rey.

When Levi woke up the next morning, it was a struggle to get out of bed. His ass was sore again, and although he grumbled when he sat up and had to wince, it also gave him a deep sense of satisfaction and an immediate reminder of what had happened the night before.

Erwin had asked him out on a date. They were going to dinner. He shared Levi’s stupid, consuming romantic feelings, and he didn’t have to curse them anymore.

Also, Erwin liked his cooking.

That meant more to him than he’d ever thought it would, and he contemplated it while in the shower, remembering how after devouring his spaghetti Erwin had propositioned him and how he’d held his hand at the table.

 _"I like you a lot, Levi."_ He’d said. The memory of it made butterflies fill Levi’s stomach, and he was in such a good mood that he didn’t even feel embarrassed.

When he got out of the shower, a different sensation settled in his belly though, because after wiping away the steam from the mirror his eyes latched on to a red mark scored across the pale skin of his neck.

It was from Erwin, and he bit his lip, running his fingers over the place where it was starting to turn a dark purple. There were other marks on him too, he noticed now, on his chest, hips, ass, and thighs, ranging from bruises left by Erwin’s fingers to hickeys sucked into his flesh from Erwin’s mouth, and even the remnants of where his teeth had dug in a few times. Levi catalogued each one while looking in the mirror, flushing as he recalled nearly every aspect of what they’d done together the night before. The idea of Erwin marking him up like this turned him on more than he wanted to admit to, and he briefly wondered if _he_ had left any like this on Erwin.

Thinking about it, he was sure he had, although his were more likely to have been left by his teeth than anything else, and he found himself wishing he’d been able to stay the night so he could see. Perhaps one day, he thought, and forced himself to stop staring into the mirror after that because he did not have time to jerk off before work.

Besides, instead of thinking about the marks like that, he should probably focus on whether he would be able to hide them or not. Luckily, most of them were on his body in places that could be covered, but the one on his neck might be a bit more difficult. His work uniform was collared and it was low enough so that probably no one there would notice, but if his uncle saw it at any point than Levi would surely never hear the end of it.

It was that specific potential for embarrassment that made Levi dig around under the counter for a band-aid, sticking that over the mark just in case. It still might draw some attention, but if anyone asked he could just say he’d injured himself. It would be obviously see through bullshit, but it was better than anyone catching sight of the actual hickey and giving him a hard time for it, he reasoned.

After that he had to finish getting dressed, and exited his room to find Kenny passed out on the couch with the television still blaring. He sighed, as all the lights were still on too, and tried not to think about how much higher his bills were going to be because of his presence. He turned everything off crankily and with a good deal of purposeful noise, beyond caring if he woke his uncle up, and then left so he could catch the bus.

Work that day was slow and his mind wandered for most of it, but he was in a decent enough mood that he wasn't too miserable. He didn't even get irritated when an angry customer yelled at Petra, one of his best servers, for something that was the kitchen's fault, despite knowing that had he been the one cooking it wouldn't have happened. That didn’t mean he didn’t give the chef - a guy named Oluo - a dressing down, because in Levi’s opinion, the mistake was unacceptable and should have never happened.

When his shift ended he considered visiting his mother so he could bring her the spaghetti he’d made, but he was still tired from not getting much sleep the night before - not to mention his long day at work. He decided he should probably get some studying in anyway, and that he could bring it to her tomorrow before he went in for his closing shift.

Once he was at home he cracked open his books and tried to concentrate on the material, only to get distracted fifteen minutes in when his phone went off. He fished it out his pocket, quickly because he couldn’t help but hope that it might be Erwin. His heart skipped a beat when he saw that it was, when he looked at his screen to see that he had one new message from ‘Daddy,’ and nearly stopped altogether when he read his text.

 _Hello, Levi. I hope your day at work wasn’t too miserable. I’m thinking of you. ;-)_ It said, accompanied by a picture of his sweatpants covered crotch and completely obvious, massive boner.

Levi’s eyes widened at the sight and his mouth went dry, images of Erwin’s cock flashing through his mind, immediately accompanied by the memories of what it felt like down his throat and in his hand and between his legs. The thoughts had him growing hard and twitching in his pants in record time, unsurprisingly, and it took him a moment before he was able to respond.

 _can i see?_ He asked, excitement making him bounce his knee up and down in his chair.

_See what?_

_your huge cock. pull it out, daddy._

A minute passed. Levi put his phone down and tried to look back at his textbook, to concentrate on studying like he should be doing, but kept sliding his eyes over and away to make sure he hadn’t missed any new messages from Erwin. He’d barely read two words before his text tone sounded off, and he snatched his phone off his desk before he could even blink.

There was another picture, and Levi took one look at it before he practically vaulted out of his chair, walking over to make sure his door was locked before he sat back down. Then he started some music so he wouldn’t be overheard, and undid his pants because he doubted he was going to be able to finish this night without jerking off, and opened the message again.

Erwin had done what he’d asked, barely. He’d tugged his pants down over his hips so that half his cock was exposed, thick and swollen and resting against his stomach. It was held there by the elastic waistband of his underwear, which luckily for Levi, had caught on his foreskin just enough so that he could see the tip of his plump, glistening pink head peeking out.

It wasn’t much; Erwin was teasing him. Even so, though, the sight of it nearly made Levi’s mouth water, and he was staring so intently that he almost jumped when another message from Erwin suddenly popped up.

 _Your turn_. It said, and Levi swore.

This was not how he had planned to spend his evening. He needed to study, to start learning all of the shit he was going to have to cram for Mr. Dawk’s next exam, not play some kind of dick pic exchange game with Erwin. However, his frustration was futile. There was no way he was going to be able to say no when all he’d thought about for most of the day was Erwin anyway.

Resigned to his fate, he stood up and leaned over his desk, spreading his legs, sticking his ass out, and hooking a thumb in the back of his pants. He tugged them down so that the very top of his ass crack was exposed, and he took a picture of it over his shoulder and sent it to Erwin.

 _one for the money._ He captioned it, inspired by the music that was playing on the radio. It was Lana del Rey, "Million Dollar Man", and Levi found it to be a very apt soundtrack to what he was doing and who he was talking to. Suddenly, he had the urge to give Erwin a lapdance. He wasn’t there though and he couldn’t, so instead he just slipped his pants down over his ass cheeks and snapped another picture of that too, texting it off to Erwin before he’d even had a chance to respond to the other one. _two for the show._

_Is there a third coming?_

_depends. got anything else to show me?_

Erwin got the hint, and the next message from him that came through was of his full cock, straining above his stomach and nestled in a bed of wiry, dark blonde hair. He’d pulled his pants down over his hips so that Levi could see his balls too, and pushed his t-shirt up so that he glimpsed the skin of his belly and the outlined ‘v’ of his groin. If he zoomed in - which he did without any hesitation whatsoever - Levi thought he could make out the faintest line of a vein twisting around from the base of his dick.

It took him another minute before he remembered he was supposed to respond, and bent over further onto the desk. He licked his finger and reached around, sliding it down the crack of his ass while he pulled his cheeks apart with his palm.

 _i wish you were touching me now, daddy, i want your fingers. i wanna ride you again._ He said when he sent the picture, a warm, heavy heat starting to settle low in his belly.

His face was hot too, and by now he’d completely forgotten about what he'd been doing before, what he was supposed to be doing instead even though he was sprawled out on top of his textbook now: studying, learning all the shit he’d missed in preparation for what was sure to be a very difficult exam.

 _Did you like that?_ Erwin responded, distracting him even further, causing him to lick his lips at the memory of how he’d rode Erwin in the kitchen.

_yeah. your cock felt fucking huge that way._

It was true, Levi thought. As much as he’d enjoyed it every time Erwin had pinned him down and fucked the life out of him, he liked being on top too. He liked being able to control the pace and how it felt straddling Erwin, stretched wide with his legs spread, and the pressure from how deep his cock sank inside him every single time he lowered himself.

 _I liked coming inside you._ Erwin said next, obviously meaning how they'd forgone a condom the last time.

Levi exhaled at the memory. He’d liked that, too.

_it wasn't bad. are you jerking off?_

_A little._

_a little?_ Levi scoffed, shifting from where he was still half lying on his desk with his ass sticking out. If only Erwin was here behind him, he mused, holding onto his waist and grinding his bulge against his backside.  _what the fuck does that mean?_

Erwin's response was to send him another picture, this time of his big hand wrapped around his cock. He was holding it at the base, and his foreskin had been tugged down all the way so that the head was fully visible. It was wet with a smear of pre-come, and Levi nearly groaned, immediately starting to imagine Erwin slowly stroking himself.

He practically slumped back into the chair at his desk, sliding down into it before he licked his palm. Then he grabbed his own cock and started jerking off, his head tipping back and a soft sigh leaving his lips as he did so. He kept going, and just as he closed his eyes though, just as he started to drift off into the waves of slowly building pleasure, his phone went off again.

_Levi?_

_daddy?_

_When can I see you again? Before Friday, I mean._

_monday._

_Alright. Monday._

Levi had let go of his dick to text but he wrapped fingers around it again quickly, his need and want for a release too strong now for him to ignore. He’d turned on the music so that he wouldn't be overheard in case his uncle was around, but he bit back all of his sounds anyway while he stroked himself to completion, his mouth hanging open in a silent moan as he rocked his hips up into his hand and thought about Erwin, Erwin whispering into his ear while he rode his glorious cock bareback, calling him a good boy - _daddy's perfect, filthy boy_ \- and guiding his movements with his hands, until he came and he had to throw his arm over his mouth to muffle his whimper.

It hadn’t taken him long, and afterward he sat there panting for a minute, staring at the ceiling until he caught his breath and the remaining vestiges of warm, tingling pleasure left his body, and wiped himself off with a tissue before picking up his phone again.

Shit, he had another message from Erwin. He'd been so caught up in jerking off this time that he hadn't even heard the text tone, which was a shame, because it was another picture. It was of Erwin's cock like all the rest, but now it was softening against his stomach, lines of come coating his skin underneath it from where he'd finished too.

 _Good night, Levi._ It said, and needless to say, Levi did not get anymore studying in for the rest of the evening.

It was fine though, because he managed to wake up early enough to cram for an hour before he had to get ready to visit his mother. His uncle was nowhere to be found which was good, but at the same time he hoped it wasn’t because he was visiting his mom. That was the last thing he wanted to deal with: Kenny’s bitching that Levi hadn’t brought him any food, Kenny letting some comment slip about where he may or may not have been Friday night, and really just Kenny in general.

Luckily, Levi didn’t spot his car anywhere when he arrived at the facility, and he wasn’t in Kuchel’s suite when she opened the door. Unluckily, however, the visit still was not a good one.

Levi’s mother was having a difficult day, apparently. He knew it when he walked in and saw Hange already there, sitting on the couch at a time when they weren’t scheduled to be.

“Mom?” Levi asked once she let him in, a deep scowl etched onto her face as she retreated away from the door without so much as even giving him a hug.

In turn it made Levi frown, worry springing up inside him immediately that only worsened when Hange pulled him aside.

"She's been having panic attacks." They explained, causing Levi's brows to draw in confusion and concern.

"What? I thought her medicine was helping her anxiety?"

"It was, in general! This is different though, I'm afraid. She had one yesterday and today - both before lunch. I suspect she's getting confused about what she does on her morning routine after I leave, and it's causing her to panic."

"You don't know?"

"I'm not here when it happens. She calls me here and won't talk about it, or can't. Maybe you can figure it out?"

"I can hear you talking about me, damnit." Kuchel said then, glaring at them from across the room.

"Mom." Levi said, swallowing and walking over. "I cooked something. Remember when you told me-"

Stopping, Levi bit his lip when she only frowned deeper at his words. Even worse, a flash of confusion crossed her face. It meant she didn't remember what he was talking about.

"I made spaghetti and meatballs. I brought you some for lunch, that's why I came over today."

"Today? Don't you always come over today?"

"No. I come on Wednesdays."

"That's it?"

Levi paused, barely aware that he was squeezing the spaghetti container so hard his knuckles had turned white.

"Yeah." He forced out, because he wasn't going to lie.

"Oh. Well, I'm not hungry."

"Kuchel." Hange interrupted then, walking between Levi who was frozen in place and his mother, placing a hand on her arm. "It's lunchtime, and you have to eat something with your meds. I'm sure the food Levi brought will be a lot better than our meatloaf, right?"

Kuchel rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, but didn't protest any further.

"I'll heat it up for you, how's that?" Hange said cheerfully, smiling at them both.

"No." Levi said stiffly. "I got it."

He wasn't mad at his mother; he couldn't be, not ever. Not when it was her disease making her behave like this, anyway, but it was frustrating when he'd planned to bring the food to her because he knew it would make her happy, and when he’d even been cheerful enough to look forward to the visit instead of feeling anxious about it like he normally did.

Regardless, he couldn’t let it show. That would just make everything worse, so he took a moment to steel himself in the kitchen while he heated up the spaghetti. Afterward, he put it in a bowl and made sure it was arranged neatly, even going so far as to wipe away any sauce that had splattered on the edges. Once he was satisfied, he stuck a fork in it and added some cheese, and brought it back out to her with a blank face to see that Hange had set up a tray. It was so she could eat on the couch where she was comfortable with a blanket and pillow, and as he walked over, he saw that Hange had just helped her take her pills with a glass of water.

“Here, mom.” Levi said when he set the food down, plopping onto the couch beside her and trying not to watch as she took a bite.

He’d only been a little nervous when he fed Erwin, because he lived off of takeout and he’d been thinking about so much other shit at the time too that it had all run together. This, however, was definitely much worse, because his mother had been the one to teach him the beginnings of everything he knew, and after all, he had used her very own recipe to make the spaghetti sauce.

He expected her to tell him it needed more salt first off, and to comment about how dry the meatballs had gotten in the microwave. Those things he already knew, but it was what she might say that he wasn’t prepared for that made him tense. However, the minutes ticked by as Kuchel ate and didn’t say anything, and Levi could only make himself wait until she was halfway finished before he spoke up.

“Well? Does it taste like shit or something?”

“Its fine.” Kuchel said, absentmindedly like she was just eating spaghetti sauce made from a jar.

Suddenly, Levi realized what was happening, and he wasn’t sure whether it was worse than his mother criticizing his food or not.

“It’s your recipe.” He said as gently as he could, reminding her because he was sure she’d forgotten.

He was right.

“Mine?” Kuchel asked, her brows knitting in confusion. “I don’t cook.”

Levi opened his mouth, ready to tell her that yes, yes she had always cooked, almost every single day of his life. He’d grown up eating her food and watching her do it, as she had spent most of her free time in the kitchen. As soon as he was old enough he started to help her, and even when he was a teenager, surly and disobedient, he still found himself wanting to learn things from her on the weekends.

It was because he enjoyed cooking; to him, it was more than a hobby. That was how she’d felt about it too, and it was one thing to have to watch her slowly become unable to cook like she used to because she just didn’t have the mental capacity for it anymore, but another to have to witness her forget that she ever did it entirely.

He wanted to tell her all of that, to explain to her in the hopes that it might jog her memory, but he knew it was a bad idea. It would likely just make her upset, or worse, give her another panic attack from confusion, so instead he just remained silent and let her finish eating.

“I’m sure it’s delicious.” Hange said.

They, of course, were familiar with how Kuchel used to love cooking, and knew what was probably running through Levi’s mind. He only shrugged in response though, and didn’t stay much longer. Kuchel wasn’t up for conversation, and Hange suggested that she take a nap. Apparently she also hadn’t been sleeping well, Levi was told after she went to lie down, something that could certainly have a negative effect on her anxiety.

“It could be the medicine causing all of this too, it's just hard to tell.” Hange said too, placing a sympathetic hand on Levi’s shoulder.

He sighed, and fought the urge to shake it off. “It’s not causing her to forget everything. She can’t even remember her fucking life anymore.”

“Well, no, of course not.” Hange said gently, and immediately after saying it, Levi felt stupid. It wasn’t much of an outburst, but it was more of one than he’d had in a long time. His visit today hadn’t been the worst he’d ever had, but even though he hadn’t even seen her that long, it had still been very, very hard. “But the anxiety and depression, and the mood swings, that can all be regulated in most cases. Sometimes it helps with memory, too, at least in this stage. We just have to find the right cocktail. Odds are, there’s one out there that will work, just for her!”

Levi appreciated what Hange was trying to do, but their positive outlook wasn’t something he really shared. After all, those medicines were just designed to make her more comfortable, and although he certainly wanted that, it wasn’t like it would cure her illness. Kuchel had only been staying there 6 months, but when he thought about it, Levi could already tell she was getting worse, and he wondered how long it would be before she had to be moved to the fully dependent on others, memory unit of the facility.

“She has a psychiatrist appointment next week. On Friday afternoon at 3:00. Maybe you can come with her? It might help.” Hange suggested, interrupting his thoughts.

Immediately, it made his frown grow deeper. Friday afternoon? That was before his date with Erwin, and he had class. He could maybe skip it because that professor at least didn’t hate him, but if he went, it would mean postponing their dinner.

He knew that he probably should, but he didn’t want to. Would it really make that much of a difference if he went? He’d been to many other doctor’s appointments and didn’t think so, not in the long run, anyway, and he wanted to go out with Erwin. It was the only thing he had to look forward to the entire week besides their meeting tomorrow, so after pausing for a moment to think, he shook his head.

“I can’t. I’ll be back on Wednesday. If anything happens though, let me know.”

“Of course.” Hange said, giving him a friendly smile.

Immediately Levi felt selfish, but after that he said goodbye, gathering Erwin’s tupperware before leaving and heading on in to work. His shift was less miserable than he’d thought it was going to be, mostly because they were busy and it managed to get his mind off of things. When he got home, however, he was just reminded of it all again, because his uncle was home and immediately launched into a barrage of questions about where he’d been all day when he walked in.

“Hey, hey, hey shrimp!” He said insistently, following Levi when he just ignored him again and started heading to his room. “Come on, talk to me. I made us sandwiches!”

That made Levi stop, because as much as he didn’t feel like dealing with Kenny, he hadn’t eaten all day. Begrudgingly, he set his jaw, pausing for a moment to set his things down before he turned back around and silently headed into the kitchen.

“What the fuck is this? Bologna?” Levi asked when he saw what his uncle had laid out, making a face at the pile of plain, white bread sandwiches sitting on the counter.

All he could see on them was a slice of what looked like cheap bologna - bologna that hadn’t even been cooked - and gobs of mayonnaise.

“Yeah, gimme a break. You know I’m not a chef. That was your mama’s deal, not mine.”

That comment made Levi scowl almost on reflex, as it immediately caused him to remember what had happened with Kuchel, and he couldn’t stop himself from shooting Kenny a nasty glare for reminding him even though there was no way he could possibly know.

“What’s with that damn face you’re wearin’?” Kenny responded, not at all perturbed by Levi’s moodiness. “Did you see her today?”

Levi told himself not to say anything, that by all means he shouldn’t want to have this conversation. However, he still found himself nodding, frowning down at the bologna sandwich he’d taken and was holding in his hands.

“Well, shit.” Kenny mumbled in response. “I guess we need these, then.”

He grabbed his own sandwich and took a huge bite out of it, and then made his way over to the fridge. Levi heard clinking and then there was a beer in front of him, dropped there by Kenny who had one of his own.

“Drink up. Relax.” He said, chewing his food noisily.

Levi raised an eyebrow, staring at the beer and considering his options. His uncle wasn’t being too bad right now, he supposed, and as long as he wasn’t pressing him for information he didn’t want to share, then he could put up with him. Besides, did he really want to go back to his room and be alone with his thoughts, trying to study and likely failing? No, he didn’t, he admitted to himself, relenting and reaching out with one hand for the beer.

Popping the cap off, he took a sip, and it was approximately three bottles later before he felt a little less abject to talking to Kenny about his mother.

“Your mom was asking me about you last time I went.” Kenny said, eyeing him as if he could sense he was more relaxed.

“You went? When?” Levi answered, not sure whether he should feel irked that he hadn’t known Kenny had visited her, or impressed.

“‘Course I went. She’s my sister too, y’know. I’ve been four times this week.”

 _Four times?_ Levi thought. That was more than Levi had expected him to visit, and also far more than he had. Suddenly, he felt guilty again, but the feeling turned into embarrassment when Kenny continued.

“I went when you were at work, or seeing your sugar daddy, or whatever.”

“Fuck off.” Levi spat, his ears burning from Kenny’s comment and the alcohol. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“A lot of shit, kid. I thought you knew that by now.” Kenny shrugged, and Levi rolled his eyes.

“Anyway, how’d it go today? Was she alright, or was she pissed?”

Levi bit his lip, staring down into his beer. His feelings may have been numbed somewhat by the amount of them he’d had, but it wasn’t enough for him to not experience a small pang of grief when he remembered how Kuchel’s memory had slipped earlier that day. “She was pissed. She forgot that she used to cook.”

“Aw, damn, shrimp. That’s rough.”

Kenny’s response sounded callous, but the look on his face said otherwise. Levi could see his expression across the table they were sitting at, and he thought his near constant ugly look seemed a lot softer than it usually did.

“We were talking about shit we did when we were kids while I was there. She didn't remember any of that either." Kenny said, averting his eyes, rubbing at his face before downing more of his beer. After that there was a mournful silence, but then Kenny perked up again, grinning at Levi in a manner that he found unsettling, if he was being honest. "You ever hear the story of how I saved her from her asshole boyfriend? That's what we were talking about.”

Levi couldn’t help but make a face at that, because he had heard the story, many fucking times in fact, and he wasn’t sure he was in the mood for a repeat. Besides, he already knew that Kuchel’s version of it was a little different, but either way, Kenny was probably going to tell him regardless of whether he protested or not. Instead of bothering, Levi just swallowed the rest of the beer he had in his hand as his uncle started talking, throwing the bottle away and getting another from the fridge because he was sure he was in for a long-winded tale of bullshit.

“Your mom was always attracting these idiots when we were teenagers, ya see.” Kenny started, his eyes unfocused as if he was remembering. “She was pretty and she still is, but she was the homecoming queen one year, and all the stupid jocks at our school thought they could try to date her. She didn’t give most of them the time of day and most of ‘em were scared of me anyway, but there was one who she thought she liked.”

Levi raised an eyebrow at that point, because Kenny had just started the story and he was already exaggerating. He’d seen pictures of his uncle when he was a teenager, and while he was tall, he was also scrawny and covered in pimples. He’d been a troublemaker from what he’d always heard, but he was pretty certain that most of the jocks, as he’d said, had not been afraid of him.

“Anyway, this guy was obnoxious, and had already dated just about every other girl in the school. He was notorious for breaking girls hearts, and he just wanted your mama because she’d been the homecoming queen so I didn’t trust that bastard. They went on one date and she came home cryin’, and then she went out with him again even though I told her not to. She wouldn’t listen to me, y’see, and the next time they went on a date I went to the movies too.”

By then, Levi was staring at Kenny with his mouth hanging open, watching him wave his arms around as if he was telling the most riveting story ever written. Levi should have just zoned out, but he found himself listening anyway, even though he knew what was going to come next and as always, thought it was ridiculous that Kenny thought it was okay to follow Kuchel around on her fucking dates. A second later and Levi found himself thinking that he probably meant well even if what he did was pretty fucked up, but he chalked that particular musing up to the fact that he was steadily getting more and more drunk.

“He took her to the theatre, and I waited outside in my car until they came out. Then that rat bastard tried to kiss her right in front of me! I honked the horn to get him to stop, and he came over and started telling me off like a dumbass. He told me I should mind my own business and stop following my sister around, and then he said he could do whatever he wanted with her. I was tryin' to be nice even though he was talking a lot of shit, but then he tapped his damn shoe against the tire of my car like he was telling me to leave. I jumped out and punched him so hard it broke his jaw! He might think he could lay his hands on Kuchel in front of me and get away with it, but my car was a different damn story."

Kenny was speaking with conviction at that point, clearly still pissed off about how his car had been fucked with even if it was almost 50 years ago. Levi had watched him slam his fist down while relaying that part and wildly act out the punch, sipping from his beer to hide an unexpected wave of amusement. He blamed that on the alcohol too, because he'd heard this 100 times and he knew that while Kenny had hit the guy, he was fairly certain his jaw hadn't been broken.

If Kuchel had been there, she would've made that clear, Levi knew, probably while calling his uncle a sexist, idiotic bastard. She'd laugh too though because of how long ago it was and because his mother wasn't anything if not forgiving, and then they'd start into another story, and Levi was reminded of the times they spent together doing just that when he was a kid. That was a long time ago though, back when he'd thought Kenny was cool and funny and actually liked his stories. He certainly didn't anymore, and was only entertaining him now because he'd plied him with beer and didn’t want to study.

"Kuchel was pretty pissed." Kenny continued a minute later, his voice going proud before he told Levi the last part. "She wouldn't speak to me for a week, but she took my advice and dumped that idiot in the end after she realized what a piece of shit he was."

 _Translation:_ Levi thought. _Kuchel wasn't that interested in him anyway, and decided she didn't want to date._

That was what his mother would add, and what Levi knew was the correct version of the story. Kenny's exaggerating was ridiculous, and like he had done every single time he’d heard this after the age of 15, Levi couldn’t help but prod him a little.

"I don’t blame her for being pissed.” Levi said, rolling his eyes. “You were following her around like a weird creep.”

“Yeah. Of course I was following her around. She’s my baby sister, I had to protect her. I used to defend her from bullies in the neighborhood when we were kids, and I wasn’t gonna stop just because we got older.”

Levi had heard all of that from his uncle before too, but for some reason, right then it made him feel a little sad. Perhaps it was Kenny’s tone of voice, which had gone quiet too, or his eyes, which held something in them that Levi had never seen before as he suddenly dropped them to stare down at the table. He didn’t speak again for a moment and due to his abrupt change in mood, Levi wasn’t quite sure what to say, but after another minute one corner of his mouth quirked up and he shook his head.

“Too bad I can’t protect her from this too.” He said, following it up with a short bark of laughter. “Y’know, I just always thought I’d be the one to kick the bucket before her.”

Levi stared, frozen with his beer lifted halfway to his lips before he set it back down, an expression on his face that was mixed with confusion and near disbelief at what he’d just heard. He watched Kenny for a moment who hadn’t said anything else, gazing down into his own empty bottle now silently, still wearing the same strange, mournful smile that he’d given Levi moments ago.

Obviously he was thinking about Kuchel - his ‘baby sister’ as he’d said, and Levi’s mother - and with the realization that this was the most vulnerability he’d ever seen from Kenny in his entire life, Levi suddenly felt sorrow wash through him. It was heavy and quick and cold, growing worse when Kenny’s words about not being able to protect her ran through his mind, and he set his drink down when he felt tears prick at the backs of his eyes.

They were definitely a direct result of how much alcohol he’d had rather than anything else, as he’d long ago forced himself to not cry about his mother. Regardless, and even though they went away almost as fast as they came upon him, he wasn’t going to let his uncle see, and cursed at how this had gone from eating bologna sandwiches and drinking beer to something like this.

“Shit.” He said, feeling upset at everything all over again, at how his mom hadn’t praised his spaghetti - what he’d really wanted - and at how she hadn’t remembered she’d cooked.

Those were his own troubles from her disease, but it was apparent that Kenny had his own too, and Levi didn’t know what to do with the fact that it bothered him so much that not even he could hide it.

Standing up from his chair, he left him in the kitchen, swallowing the lump in his throat as he stalked towards his bathroom. It was getting late, anyway, and he had class in the morning. Lamenting the fact that he’d barely gotten any studying done all weekend, he brushed his teeth and washed his face, and went into his room to change into pajamas.

That was when he spotted Erwin’s shirt lying on top of his laundry basket where he’d left it, the large, worn, oversized one he’d taken Friday night. Without another thought he stepped forward to grab it, and after a quick sniff where he verified that it still smelled like Erwin, pulled off all his clothes and slipped it over his head.

The he crawled into bed with his phone, and checked his messages after settling underneath the blankets, hoping that he would have one from Erwin and it would distract him. Surprisingly, but becoming less so day by day, he did have one, and he bit his lip as his heart fluttered when he opened it.

 _I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow._ The text said simply, causing his cheeks to color.

He felt a rush of something fill his chest too, something warm that chased away all the black, downcast thoughts he’d been having all day, and after reading it over and over a few times, he felt a little better. He probably should be embarrassed at how just one, stupid text from Erwin could do that to him, but at this point it seemed fruitless to bother fighting it. After getting over it quickly, he instead focused on what time the message had been sent and whether he should respond.

Erwin had texted him over an hour ago, and somehow he hadn’t heard it. He found that he wanted to answer him and that the less personal usage of text messaging made him feel not as reticent about it, but it was late. What if Erwin was asleep?

Whatever. He thought after a second though. Fuck it.

 _Me too._ He texted to Erwin, ignoring the way his stomach flipped nervously as he hit send.

Assuming that he wasn’t going to get an answer, he locked his phone and set it down on his bedside table, and reached over to turn out the light. Just as he laid down and closed his eyes, however, his phone chimed and vibrated loudly. His lids flew open again and he practically launched himself over to grab it, turning the screen back on to see that Erwin had texted him back.

 _:-)_ Was all he had sent, but ridiculously, it was somehow enough to make Levi’s heart pound.

It was dorky too, he thought, which for some reason made it all the more endearing when Levi thought about what his first impression of Erwin had been: serious and a bit solemn, not to mention commanding in his presence and in the bedroom. It seemed that he was actually a lot softer than that, Levi was learning, and he found that he didn’t mind in the least bit.

After that, he managed to fall asleep in less of an anxious state, with thoughts of Erwin in his head and the smell of him filling Levi’s nose from the shirt. The sleeves of it were so long that they covered his hands, and if he brought the end of one to his face he got the briefest whiff of Erwin’s cologne. He felt a little embarrassed doing it, but there was no one here to see him, right?

With that thought, he stayed comforted, and slept until he had to get out of bed for class. Immediately, he remembered what had happened with his mother and then his uncle, but also Erwin too. All he had to do was get through one class and a work shift, and then he would be able to see him again and relax.

It went by slowly. His class was long and boring as usual, and really only served to remind Levi about the upcoming exam that he was nowhere near prepared for. It made him feel a hint of stress that he was forced to swallow down while at work, which was also slow because they were rarely that busy during weekday afternoons. The clock seemed to be dragging because of how much he was ready to see Erwin, but finally he was allowed to go with just enough time to make the bus.

He spent the ride there in a jittery anticipation, and when he arrived, Erwin answered the door with a warm smile and greeted him with a hug. Levi stood up onto his toes to kiss him before he could stop himself, then rested his chin on his shoulder until Erwin let go.

"How are you?" Erwin asked once he'd led him inside, watching as Levi set his backpack in a chair and removed his shoes.

"Fine." Levi said, appraising Erwin's appearance. He'd come from work, obviously, but he'd removed his tie and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt, and then rolled his sleeves up. It was a nice look, Levi thought, catching Erwin's eye. He was glancing him over in the same way, and it made Levi bite his lip and shift. "I brought this back."

As he spoke, he opened his backpack to pull out the Tupperware he'd borrowed - washed and clean and empty of spaghetti. For a moment, Erwin looked confused, as if he'd forgotten Levi had even taken it. Then he smiled though, and lifted it from his hands. When he did, their fingers brushed.

"Ah. Thank you. Let's go put it back in the kitchen, shall we?"

Levi raised an eyebrow. Erwin was walking stiffly and wore a strange expression, and when Levi followed him into the kitchen he saw why. On the counter was a pasta maker, obviously brand new because it was in an unopened box.

"What?" Levi said, because the sight of it confused him a bit.

Erwin had said he thought he already had a pasta maker, hadn't he? Had he fucking gone out and bought a new one? No, that wasn't the case, Levi saw when he walked over to look. The box wasn't opened, yes, but the date on it was from several years ago. Erwin must have bought it and never used it. That made sense, but what didn't was why he'd purchased it in the first place when all he ate was takeout.

"Why do you have all this shit?" Levi asked, referring to not only the pasta maker, but every single other cooking appliance he had, not to mention the extremely vast array of utensils that would have even made his selfless mother jealous.

"They were gifts." Erwin said in explanation, as he put the Tupperware container back where it belonged.

"Gifts?" Levi muttered, wondering for what.

Erwin didn't respond and he got distracted though, once he opened the box and looked inside. It was fancy, and he'd never seen one this nice before.

"I thought you might be interested in trying it, so I got it out." Erwin said, standing behind Levi while he studied the appliance. "If you want to, anyway."

"Is that why, or do you just want me to feed you again?"

At that Erwin chuckled, leaning over to wrap his big arms around Levi’s middle.

“Both.” He said against Levi’s cheek, kissing him there when Levi leaned back against him. “Takeout just hasn’t been the same since you made me spaghetti.”

“You poor bastard.” Levi replied, scoffing at Erwin’s tone.

He’d made himself sound pitiful, and although he knew he was teasing, it helped him feel more confident along with the fact that Erwin had asked him to dinner. Obviously, this was something Erwin liked about him, and it made Levi glad.

“Do you really want spaghetti again, though?” He asked, because it had only been a few nights since he’d made it the first time.

“I wouldn’t mind it.” Erwin said. He was still hugging Levi, and his chest was warm and solid against his back. He smelled good too, like usual. “I bought the ingredients for it, but I got a few other things too if you want to make something else. You can look through the pantry. Or, I can order in if you-”

At that, Levi twisted his head to give Erwin a look, one that was meant to express just how aggrieved he felt about that idea. It made Erwin laugh, loudly enough that it seemed to vibrate right through his body, and suddenly Levi was filled with affection. It prompted him to turn around and kiss Erwin, throwing his arms around him and pressing their mouths together. It interrupted Erwin’s laughter and he stopped short instantly, all of his focus suddenly on gathering Levi up and into his arms again, wasting not even a single second before kissing him back.

They stayed like that for a few quiet seconds, moving their lips together softly with their eyes closed, until Levi pulled away and shifted back onto his feet from where he’d been standing on his tiptoes. His face was a bit red from how suddenly he’d thrown himself at Erwin even if he hadn’t been able to help it, and the smile Erwin was wearing now wasn’t helping.

“I’ll cook.” He said, chewing on his lip and looking over his shoulder at the pasta maker. He couldn’t lie; he was itching to use it. “Just so I don’t have to eat any of that shitty takeout again. I can make ravioli instead of spaghetti. It’ll be a little different, okay?”

“That sounds nice.” Erwin murmured, hugging Levi around the waist now, bending to plant a warm, wet kiss to his neck. “I love ravioli.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the nice comments regarding the last chapter! :) I really enjoyed writing it and I'm still blown away by the response I get after each new update. I'm glad everyone likes the story and there should be many more cute interactions between Erwin and Levi from now on along the same lines. Fortunately (or unfortunately) I can't seem to make myself stop making them overly affectionate @.@
> 
> Also, if this chapter was little short, its because I'm trying to make sure I can cram their upcoming date into one big one.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “No.” Erwin said, giving Levi a quick kiss, sloppy and lazy because of both their weariness. “I wanted to feel you come with me.”
> 
> His words made Levi flush instantly, the tenderness behind them catching him off guard. It was, well, it was sweet, and not something that he had expected from a man who he’d only known for a few weeks and who he’d first come to just because he wanted to get laid.
> 
> Although, he supposed, his chest swelling as the thought crossed his mind, it made sense now. Erwin liked him. He’d told him as much and wanted to be around him, and they were going on a real date in a few days. This was probably only natural. Levi just wasn't used to it yet.

After Levi had told Erwin what he was going to cook, Erwin finally extricated himself from around Levi and told him he would work at the table while he prepared dinner. Levi nodded, but other than that it barely registered because he’d already moved to look inside Erwin’s pantry. He’d decided he could probably make ravioli, but he still needed to see what he had to work with.

As it turned out, Erwin had been telling the truth when he’d said he’d bought other things at the grocery store, but saying it was only a few items had been an understatement. The shelves were crowded where they had been nearly empty before except for basics and junk food, but it was obvious just from looking at them that Erwin had no idea how to shop for meals. It was like he’d gotten the ingredients for spaghetti and whatever other random things that had caught his eye or looked good - including a large bag of lemons, three different types of flour, and a very large jar of applesauce.

Those were only a few of the things Levi glimpsed in there, but after a quick scan of the shelves and of Erwin’s fridge, he determined that he could definitely make ravioli as he’d said, and he could even make it a bit differently than he’d first thought to spice it up.

For whatever reason, Erwin had deemed it appropriate to buy ricotta and Italian sausage, so Levi got the idea to stuff the raviolis with that cheese _and_ parmesan, and to make a sauce with the sausage in it instead of just plain tomato. In total, it took him about an hour - more time than it should’ve with the pasta maker, but he found that he wanted everything to be perfect, right down to each individual ravioli. He made sure they were all the same size and stuffed with an equal amount of the cheese mixture, and that the sauce had enough salt this time and was thoroughly flavored from the sausage. He was so focused on it all, concentrating so that he didn’t make a mistake and not to mention lost in his enjoyment of cooking the meal, that he’d almost forgotten Erwin was in the room typing away on his laptop at the table.

That was, he forgot until he was almost ready to serve it, anyway, when Erwin got up to pull out plates, bowls, cups, and silverware to set the table. He kissed Levi’s cheek and told him it looked good when he passed, wiping a stray bit of flour from his nose and making him feel both a sense of nervousness and excitement for Erwin to taste it.

He had to admit, Erwin wasn’t wrong. It _did_ look good for something he’d come up with pretty much on the spot, and after so much careful attention to detail and focus on getting everything right, he actually felt fairly pleased with how it had come out. The only remaining question was whether it tasted good, but he would have been stupid to assume that Erwin wouldn’t like it when he lived on fast food and hot dogs.

“This is delicious.” Erwin told him around a mouthful once they began eating, chewing quickly so that he could stuff another ravioli into his mouth.

“Don’t fucking choke.” Levi said, making a face that disguised the gratification he felt bubbling up inside him.

“Forgive me.” Erwin smiled, wiping his mouth with his napkin politely. “It’s so good I’ve forgotten my manners.”

Levi rolled his eyes, but no matter how hard he tried, couldn’t stop the small smile that caused the corners of his lips to curve up. It was probably the first time he’d smiled around Erwin, and even though he was staring down at his plate in an attempt to hide it, of course the bastard noticed.

“Levi.” He said, a softer tone to his voice. “It really is very good. Thank you.”

“It’s just ravioli.” Levi muttered, feeling his cheeks start to grow warm when Erwin took his hand.

He turned his palm over and let him tangle their fingers together though, and resisted the urge to kick him under the table when he bent so he could kiss Levi’s knuckles. It wasn’t that he didn’t like it, but all this romantic shit was embarrassing him and making his heart pound, and fuck, he just really, _really_ liked Erwin.

It wasn’t like it was a new realization, but it kept hitting him at the most inopportune times, like right now when he was sitting across from him in his dimly lit kitchen, over a meal he’d made while Erwin gazed at him with a stupid, fond smile. Technically, they hadn’t gone on a date yet, but as Levi sat there and eyed him, it certainly felt like they were on one now.

Their date that wasn’t a date continued in Erwin’s living room, where he brought his laptop back with him so he could keep working. Levi hadn’t forgotten that’s what he’d be doing, so he’d brought his books and notes with him too so he could try to study. Together, they curled up on the couch amidst Erwin’s papers and pleadings and research, and managed to keep quiet for at least ten minutes while they both read.

“Do you have to do this every night?” Levi asked, shifting as Erwin leaned forward to grab a stack of documents from his coffee table.

After he had it, Erwin settled back against the couch, holding the papers in one hand and throwing his other arm back where it had been over Levi’s shoulders.

“Not always.” He said, his blue eyes scanning the words intently. “I have to write a brief, and I’m partial to this case.”

“What, did this guy murder less people than your other clients, or something?”

“No, he didn’t murder anyone. He’s innocent.”

Erwin chuckled at Levi’s comment, and Levi snorted in return at his response.

“Is he really, or is that what you have to say?”

“I think he is. I believe it was an accident.”

“Can you prove it?”

“I’m going to try. But that involves a lot of studying documents and evidence, which is what I’m doing now.” Erwin said, nodding at the messy piles of papers surrounding them. “I hope I can prove it. I want to help him, and others like him too.”

Levi blinked at Erwin’s quiet words, taking in the conviction of his tone that let him know this was obviously something he was serious about.

“What others?” He asked though, unsure about his meaning.

“Other people that are innocent.”

“But don’t you have to represent shitty people too?”

Again, Erwin smiled. “Yes. But I have to start somewhere.”

“Start? How are you just starting? What are you, like 40?”

“I’m 38, Levi.” Erwin said immediately, a wounded frown on his face. “And I’ve only been a lawyer for five years.”

“Oh.”

“Can I ask how old you are?”

“24.” Levi mumbled, biting his lip before adding: “I’ll be 25 soon.”

After that, he looked away with a frown. It wasn’t that he had anything against Erwin knowing his age, but now that he knew for sure there were over ten years between the two of them, saying it outloud made him feel self-conscious, made him wonder as he had before what someone like Erwin would want with a kid his age. Erwin, with his lofty, noble goals about helping the innocent, while Levi was struggling to even make it through fucking business school.

Erwin seemed to notice his put off expression, though, and leaned over to kiss his cheek. “You come across as older. I thought you were.”

“You’re full of shit. I look like a kid.” Levi said, eyeing Erwin from the side while he continued to kiss his skin. He was just saying that, Levi was sure, because he knew how young he looked. He had a soft, round face that came through despite his near constant scowl, and his height didn’t help either. Half the time, he still got I.D.ed when he tried to get into 18 and older clubs. “There are middle schoolers taller than me.”

“I like your size.” Erwin told him immediately, without skipping a beat.

His lips were leaving a wet trail down his jaw now, and Levi didn’t respond. He was starting to flush.

“I like your looks too.” He continued, and Levi shifted. "I think you're very beautiful."

“That means you do think I look young.” Levi responded, his voice hitching at Erwin's words, deflecting before he could stop himself because it was making his ears burn. “Good thing I’m not under 18. You didn’t even check, you perverted bastard.”

He was teasing, but his words made Erwin’s mouth stop in its tracks right before it landed another kiss against the corner of Levi’s lips. When Levi turned his head to look over at him, his eyes were a bit wide like he was just realizing that no, he certainly hadn’t checked. He hadn’t even asked. Instead, he’d just jerked Levi’s pants down the first time they’d met and stuck his face into his ass.

The look on Erwin’s face - more ruffled than Levi had ever seen him - almost made him laugh, and another second later Erwin was doing that exact thing. He smiled and exhaled in amusement, and resumed kissing Levi from where he’d stopped. He planted one on the corner of his mouth, and then full on the lips when Levi turned to meet him.

“Yes, good thing.” He murmured between kisses. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to do this.”

“Do what?” Levi huffed, irritated because although his flush had started to leave him, it was coming back again - this time in full force.

That didn’t mean he wanted to pull away though, because he didn’t, and when Erwin’s mouth grew more insistent and he tossed his papers away, Levi let himself fall back onto the couch as Erwin leaned over him.

“Kiss you. Touch you.” He was saying, pressing their lips together again and placing a hand on Levi's hip. His mouth trailed down his neck and he slipped a thumb up underneath Levi's shirt, brushing it across his bare skin gently. "Fuck you. Tell you what a good boy you are."

Levi's lips parted at that, at the way Erwin said 'fuck' in a low voice and grinded his hips down against Levi's for emphasis. A thrill ran through him too when Erwin said he was a good boy, and it wasn't hard to see where this was going or what Erwin wanted, and Levi was, as always, perfectly happy to play along.

"Tell me, daddy." He breathed, wrapping his arms around Erwin's neck while he continued to run his mouth over Levi's skin.

"You're a good boy, Levi. Daddy's sweet, obedient, perfect boy.”

Levi could feel the smile on Erwin's lips, but after fighting back a groan, he scoffed instead.

“Really?” He blurted, because he was pretty sure he was rude, stubborn, and well - certainly anything but perfect.

Erwin chuckled. Levi felt his nose brushing against the skin of his throat, and then his teeth, nipping, scraping, and sliding their way up to Levi’s ear.

“Somewhat sweet. Fairly obedient.” He murmured, nibbling at it and tugging at the soft lobe. “Would you rather I call you filthy instead? Or a naughty boy? That’s certainly true, after all.”

“Yeah. Yes, daddy-” Levi gasped at that, shifting beneath Erwin, tilting his head back so that he had better access to his ear and throat.

It was sensitive, and the way Erwin’s lips and teeth felt moving over that area was making him shiver and arch against him. Erwin seemed to pick up on it and sucked sharply at the skin right below his ear, shoving his knee between Levi’s legs when he whined in his throat. Then he was moving to capture his mouth again, and suddenly, they were kissing feverishly and both practically pawing at each other’s clothing, the short, teasing conversation they'd just had apparently getting to the both of them.

Levi’s fingers went to work unbuttoning Erwin’s shirt while Erwin pushed his up and grabbed at his belt. His pants were pulled down over his thighs within seconds so that Erwin could grab at his ass, his hungry fingers digging into the bare skin as Levi had forgone underwear yet again, groping and squeezing, sliding down to Levi’s thigh sharply so he could pull his leg around his waist.

By then they were kissing eagerly with open mouths and sweeping, wet tongues, shifting against each other for as much contact as possible while they struggled out of their clothing. Once Levi finally had Erwin’s shirt open he reached inside to rub his hands all over his chest, palming at it before roughly pinching his nipples.

He couldn’t help himself, and he was rewarded when Erwin responded just as aggressively, practically growling in his throat and nipping at Levi’s bottom lip, grinding his hips against Levi’s hard enough this time to make him moan.

 _"Fuck-"_ He groaned, shuddering when Erwin did it again, when he felt the thick, hard line of Erwin’s cock through his pants.

"Naughty boy, spreading your legs for me so easily." Erwin told him again, something bright in his eyes as he sat back onto his knees to appraise Levi. Levi's own had gone lidded as he watched him from between his thighs, trying to lift his hips for more friction that he couldn't reach. "Look how filthy you are. You're already leaking for daddy's cock, so hard and swollen. We’ve barely even started."

Levi couldn’t hold back his breathy moan at the words - for some reason, he liked this particular brand of dirty talk coming from Erwin, probably because he was normally so polite - and how Erwin suddenly palmed at his cock, running his hand upward over it once and collecting the tiny bead of pre-come that had started to leak from the tip with his thumb. He squirmed up into it, trying to grind himself against Erwin’s touch, but stopped when the pressure disappeared because Erwin was sliding his palm over Levi’s chest.

A second later and his thumb was grazing his chin, and Levi knew what Erwin wanted. He didn’t skip a beat before grabbing his hand and sitting up, holding it still so he could lick his come off of the finger obediently. He did it without breaking eye contact, thinking that if Erwin was going to keep calling him filthy, he was certainly going to play the part.

Obviously, he tasted himself a little but he didn’t care, and held onto Erwin’s hand until Erwin pulled him up and replaced his finger with his tongue. Erwin kissed him like that, hard and eagerly for a few minutes, until he got up and took Levi with him, leading him toward his bedroom as they left a trail of their remaining clothing behind them messily.

Once they were on the bed he guided Levi into his lap and opened him up like that with lube, swallowing his cries and gasps with kisses as he writhed on his fingers. When he was ready, when he was riding three of them as eagerly as if it was Erwin's own cock, he pulled them out and laid Levi down, sliding inside him in one long, smooth stroke after he'd slicked himself up that was enough to take his breath away

Levi couldn’t help the way he arched into either, moaning in what was a mixture of relief and pleasure once Erwin had filled him to the hilt. As usual, Erwin’s teasing, talented fingers had gotten him worked up enough to nearly become desperate for this, and by then Levi longed to be sated, longed to be pounded into the mattress by Erwin’s hips until he almost couldn’t move his legs anymore.

There was nothing more satisfying to him in those moments, but this time, Erwin went slow, or at least, less rough. This time, he built up to a steady pace instead of immediately fucking him nearly as hard as he could, and Levi found that he enjoyed that too, a curl of arousal growing tighter and tighter in his belly at each long drag of Erwin’s cock. That didn’t stop him from rolling his hips up to meet Erwin’s every thrust eagerly though, his arms wrapped around his neck as Erwin leaned over him, kissing at his face and neck while they moved and gasped for breath together.

Like that, Levi was soon on the edge of release, his fingers digging into the skin of Erwin’s shoulders harder and harder and his cries growing louder and more desperate. Only then did Erwin start moving like he usually did, his hips jerking against Levi’s ass, grinding into it harder every time he pushed in. Shifting, Levi reached for his cock so he could start stroking it to finish himself off, but was only able to give it a few good tugs before Erwin suddenly sat up and pushed his hand away.

He replaced it with his own, and Levi arched into it, assuming that Erwin was going to do it himself. He’d squeezed his eyes shut too, gasping breathily with every movement of his hips, his thighs growing tighter and tighter and pleasure winding up inside him until he felt like he was going to snap. He was almost there, so close that he was already trembling, waiting for just one more thrust from Erwin to drive him over the edge. He raised his hips in preparation and almost went rigid, barely breathing because he felt so pent up all over, but, only, instead of intense pleasure washing over him a second later he just felt fingers tightening around the base of his cock, and a desperate, strained shudder go through him as he was abruptly denied his orgasm.

His eyes flew open to fix on Erwin, who hadn’t stopped thrusting even though he was holding Levi like that. He was watching him raptly, staring with a pleasure contorted expression of his own while Levi squirmed, a loud whine suddenly leaving his lips that was probably meant to be some kind of plea. Erwin’s grip on his cock was so tight that it was almost making him wince, the taut feeling in his belly and thighs so tight now that it was close to becoming painful.

It felt good too, of course, but the need to come was still there, the feeling of being _right there_ but denied relief quickly growing intense enough to make Levi more desperate than he’d ever felt, bucking his hips up every time Erwin moved and hoping that something, anything would cause him to let go of him so he could fucking come.

 _“Daddy!”_ He gasped harshly, a sobbing sound tearing from his throat when Erwin grazed his prostate. “Fuck, please-”

“Levi-” Erwin groaned in response though, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment as he let his head fall back. “Wait.”

His thrusts had grown more desperate too, Levi somehow noticed after that, his hips jerking against Levi faster and harder as he gasped for breath above him. He was close, and that was what he was waiting for Levi realized, his own release to come so that they could finish together. It was a thought that actually made him regain his senses for a moment even if he felt like he was about to explode, stopping his writhing long enough to watch Erwin’s brows draw down tighter in concentration.

His cheeks were so red they were practically glowing too and his blonde locks were clumped together with sweat, and although Levi was sure he probably looked even more of a wreck, he at least had enough coherency in him to enjoy the sight. That only lasted for a moment though because he was soon moving again too, meeting Erwin’s hips with his ass so hard that he was finally getting the skin on skin slapping sound he’d been craving earlier. He clenched around Erwin’s cock too, almost uncontrollably with need, and finally, _thankfully_ , that was what drove him over the edge.

Erwin pushed into Levi deeply one last time with a groan of his own, and he only had a split second to get an eyeful of his blissful expression before he let go of his cock and Levi was filled with bliss of his own, so strong that had he not closed his eyes, his vision would have gone black around the edges. Instead of that he saw stars from squeezing his lids shut so tightly, his orgasm hitting him so hard and so intensely that he didn’t even make a sound. His mouth just hung open in a silent moan, the noise caught in his throat, all of his muscles stiffening in the seconds that followed before releasing pleasurably and finally, he slumped backwards against the bed.

It was still a few more moments before he opened his eyes, trembling a bit and gasping for breath when he did so to see that he’d made quite a mess all over his stomach. There were several thick lines of come that went almost all the way up to his chin, and looking at it, he blinked in awe for a moment before he caught sight of Erwin next to him. He’d pulled out and rolled over without Levi even realizing it, and the thought caused him to let his head fall back again bonelessly against the bed.

“Are you trying to fucking kill me, you bastard?” He mumbled, allowing Erwin to gather him up in his arms as he laughed.

“No.” He said, giving Levi a quick kiss, sloppy and lazy because of both their weariness. “I wanted to feel you come with me.”

His words made Levi flush instantly, the tenderness behind them catching him off guard. It was, well, it was _sweet_ , and not something that he had expected from a man who he’d only known for a few weeks and who he’d first come to just because he wanted to get laid.

Although, he supposed, his chest swelling as the thought crossed his mind, it made sense now. Erwin liked him. He’d told him as much and wanted to be around him, and they were going on a real date in a few days. This was probably only natural. Levi just wasn't used to it yet.

They stayed together on the bed long enough for Levi to lose track of time and for his eyes to start drooping, tired from the long weekend he’d had and not to mention what they’d just done. The warmth Erwin was giving off wasn’t helping, but suddenly he stirred next to Levi, twisting his head around to plant a light kiss against Levi’s temple.

"I suppose I should get back to work." He murmured, squeezing Levi's leg where he'd grabbed it after Levi had thrown it over him on impulse. "I'm afraid I didn't get as much done as I wanted to. You're very distracting."

He chuckled, rolling over as he spoke so he could tug Levi up against him further. They kissed, and Levi scoffed.

"Yeah, well it was kinda hard for me to study the other night when you were sending me pictures of your cock."

"Oh, I didn't mean-"

"It doesn't matter." Levi blurted before Erwin could even finish his sentence.

He'd been teasing, not complaining, and he certainly didn't want Erwin to think he couldn't text him when he was at home.

"What were you studying?"

"Some business shit. I have an exam in a few weeks. I have time."

The last part was said to reassure himself more than Erwin, because he needed to memorize about 20 chapters worth of information before then and he'd barely gotten through one.

"Alright. But let me know if I'm interrupting you when you're busy, Levi."

 _Like I'd ever be busy enough to not wanna look at your dick._ Levi thought to himself, nodding in mock understanding anyway despite his thoughts.

"Anyway, you're welcome to stay here if you like." Erwin said, causing Levi blink.

Did he mean stay the night? That was certainly something he hadn't expected Erwin to ask. He found the idea appealing, though, but he wasn't sure. He hadn't brought any stuff, and he had work again very early in the morning.

"I gotta work at 7:00 AM." He said, biting his lip, hoping Erwin wouldn't take his refusal the wrong way.

"Fair enough." He said though, giving him a reassuring smile. "What about Friday? I'd like it if you could stay after. If you want to, of course."

That made Levi's eyes widen, anticipation causing him to swallow too. Friday was certainly more than doable. "Okay, fine."

"Good. Tonight, though, if you want to take a shower I can drive you home afterward."

Levi paused for a moment, thinking about it. Last time that had nearly gotten him busted with his uncle, but he hadn't mentioned anything about it to his mother - at least not yet. Even if he did, there was always the chance his mother would forget, but that was something he felt too awful about depending on. He'd rather endure uncomfortable questions about his love life from her than the knowledge that she'd forgotten something else, but either way, he decided to risk it. It was getting late, and he was never going to want to take the bus if he didn’t have to.

“Yeah, okay.”

Erwin gave him a small smile and kissed him again, moving his lips against Levi’s gently before pulling away. Together they got up afterward, with Erwin leaving Levi to his own devices in his bathroom while he slipped on sweatpants and a t-shirt. Levi showered quickly, scrubbing between his legs until he felt like he’d be able to make it home without Erwin’s come leaking out of his ass, and then found his clothes folded neatly on the bed waiting on him.

Erwin must have laid it there because he was pretty sure he’d left it tossed aside in a trail on the way to his bedroom, and pulled his pants on absentmindedly. When he did the same with his shirt, however, he stopped after he’d tugged his head through the opening, because he’d caught sight of Erwin’s bedside table - or rather, what was lying on it.

It was the tie Erwin had gagged him with last time, the portion that had been in his mouth a bit rumpled, but otherwise curled neatly near his alarm clock. Had Erwin kept it there on purpose because it reminded him of Levi? Did he jerk off to it? For some reason, Levi was sure that he hadn’t just left it there absentmindedly, and found that the thought of why made him blush fiercely.

It only got worse when Erwin came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Levi’s middle, nearly making him jump because he hadn’t heard him come in.

“I can’t bring myself to put it up.” He murmured against the back of his neck, noticing what Levi was staring at. “Keeping it there reminds me of you.”

“Pervert.” Levi said under his breath, but turned anyway so he could meet Erwin’s mouth for a searing kiss.

After that, Erwin asked him if he was ready to go, and about half an hour later Levi found himself home again. Luckily his uncle wasn’t outside this time so he could give Erwin a proper, ten minute long goodbye with his lips, and got out of the car after Erwin told him he would see him again Friday.

"Can I call you?" Erwin asked quietly, as Levi was getting out.

"Yeah." Levi told him while struggling not to smile, because after everything, he found the fact that Erwin was still asking to be a bit ridiculous. "You can call."

Erwin gave him one last smile as he left, and Levi found Kenny asleep when he went inside.  All of the lights and the television were on of course, but Levi felt happy and pleased enough from his visit with Erwin that he was only a _little_ annoyed this time.

The next three days went by rather quickly, surprisingly, and Levi even managed to get a decent amount of studying in. On Tuesday and Thursday he worked at night, and used the time when he was riding the bus home to talk to Erwin. At home he ate sandwiches with his uncle again, who apparently lived off of them much like Erwin had with his takeout, and he didn't protest when he invited himself to go with Levi to visit Kuchel on Wednesday.

Levi was a little nervous going after how she’d been the last time, and on the way there, had to admit that he was actually relieved he wasn’t going alone. He hoped it would go well because he’d been texting Hange who told him she’d been doing better, and thankfully when they walked in, it seemed like she was.

She was cooking, Levi saw, or rather, baking. She was making brownies from a box, and although it was simple, it was relieving now to see her up and about and doing something - especially this.

"Finally, I get to eat something that's been cooked!" Kenny said, accepting Kuchel's hug. "Shrimp here won't fix me shit. I've been living off bologna and bread."

"Fuck off. It's not my job to feed you." Levi said, rolling his eyes.

Kuchel smiled a little and hugged him too, running her fingers through his hair much to Levi's chagrin and Kenny's amusement. Levi let her at first, but once Kenny started cooing at him and making mock baby noises he squirmed away.

"You're a bastard." He said, shoving past him and into the kitchen.

They'd brought pizza, and he needed to set it down on the table.

"Tell me something I don't know." Kenny mumbled, following him so that he could practically rip open the pizza box.

"How are you?" Kuchel asked Levi, placing her hands on his shoulders.

She didn't seem anxious, Levi noted, or upset this time. Instead, Kuchel just looked tired. Her face was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes, and Levi thought that for the first time, she actually looked her age.

"Okay." Levi said, looking up at her. "Fine."

"How's school?"

Levi shrugged. "Shitty."

"And work?"

"Not bad, I guess."

"How about grandpa? Have you seen him?"

"What?" Levi blurted before he could stop himself, his brows drawing down in confusion.

Grandpa? His grandfather - Kenny and Kuchel’s father - had been dead before he’d even been born. He’d never met him, but regardless, Kuchel didn’t call him dad. She’d called him grandpa, like he was _her_ grandpa, like she thought Levi was-

“Kuchel.” Kenny said then. Behind her at the table, he’d stopped eating his pizza and had frozen mid-bite. “Grandpa’s dead. And I’m over here. Levi didn’t know that old fart.”

Kuchel looked at Kenny and then back at Levi. She blinked, and for a moment, he was afraid she wasn’t going to know who he was. But then she smiled and took his face into her hands before bringing him in for another hug, and this time when Levi wrapped his arms around her, Kenny did not tease.

“Of course. I’m sorry, Levi.” She mumbled. Her voice sounded strained. “I didn’t mean...I don’t-”

“It doesn’t matter.” Levi said quickly, and behind him, Kenny snorted.

“Yeah. The kid is flattered that you think he looks like a handsome guy like me.” He said.

Levi rolled his eyes, but didn’t respond. He was joking to try and make his mother feel better about her slip, and sniping something back wouldn’t help the situation. So he held his tongue until she finally let him go, and together, the three of them got to work on eating the pizza and then his mother's brownies.

The rest of the night went rather smoothly, thankfully, mostly because Kenny talked so much that neither Levi nor his mother could get a word in edgewise. As Levi had been reminded of the other night, he liked to tell stories whether anyone was listening or not, and he found himself pulling out his phone while Kenny blathered on about the time he’d crashed a car into a lake.

 _hey._ He texted Erwin, because they hadn’t yet spoken that day and he’d been thinking about him.

 _Hello, Levi. How was your day?_ Erwin responded immediately as he always did, the sight of his name popping up on Levi’s phone screen making his stomach do a flip.

_fine. are you working?_

_I am. It’s alright though._

Levi paused, biting his lip.

 _i’m with my uncle._ He said, wondering whether he should mention his mother. In the end he decided not to because he still wasn't sure how to explain, or if he even should yet. _where are we going on friday?_

_I've been meaning to ask if you had anything in mind._

_not italian._

_Alright._ Erwin said. Levi could almost imagine him chuckling. _There’s a nice Thai place near here if you like that, or a diner. We can go wherever you want, though. Why don’t you pick and let me know?_

 _the diner sounds good._ Levi said.

He’d just had pizza, but thinking about it, suddenly he had a hankering for burgers, fries, and milkshakes.

_Okay, we’ll go there then. Why don’t I pick you up so you don’t have to take the bus?_

_Yeah, okay. I’ll be home by 4._

_I’ll pick you up at 5 then._

"Levi." Kuchel said suddenly, causing him to jerk his head up from his phone. "Who are you talking to?"

"His sugar daddy." Kenny blurted, of course. “He’s getting his dingle dangled.”

"You fucking asshole-" Levi started, feeling his cheeks turning red already.

Erwin _wasn't_ his sugar daddy. He called him daddy while they were fucking, yeah, but Erwin didn't give him money or buy him shit. So far, the closest he'd gotten had been buying groceries for him to cook, but that had been for Erwin too. Regardless, he wasn't Levi's boyfriend either yet, and all Kenny had seen was him get out of some guy's car.

"I don't have a sugar daddy, you sick fuck." Levi said, angry that Kenny was trying to embarrass him like this, because regardless of what Erwin was, it was none of his damn business.

"Are you seeing someone, Levi?" Kuchel asked though, thankfully ignoring the questionable  aspects of what her brother had just said.

"No." He lied immediately, clenching his jaw.

"That was a nice ass car you were getting out of the other night, I'm just saying." Kenny said.

Levi scowled at him and then looked at his mother, who was giving him a small smile. She wasn't stupid, even now, and could tell when he was protesting because he was embarrassed.

"Well, I hope you're being careful." She said, causing Levi to flush even further and cringe.

Kenny snickered, and Levi glared. His mother patted him sympathetically on the shoulder from where she was sitting next to him.

“At least we don’t have to worry about him knocking anyone up.” Kenny said. “He takes after you, so we know he’d keep the damn thing. Then we’d have Shrimp Jr. running around.”

At that, Levi’s mother turned and pinched him as hard as she could on the arm, and Levi rolled his eyes for what must have been the hundredth time that night. Then, his phone chimed again.

“Why don’t you go back to telling mom one of your stupid, shitty stories?” Levi muttered because this time she actually remembered them, sinking down into the couch before glancing at his phone.

It was another text from Erwin, of course, and he forced his face to remain as neutral as possible while he read it because he knew Kenny and his mother were watching him.

_If you’d like, we can go see a movie afterward too. Or have some drinks. There’s also a mini golf place nearby. It’s all my treat ;-)_

Well, so much for Levi's argument that Erwin wasn't his sugar daddy because he wasn't buying him anything.

 _maybe._ Levi said. _can i still stay the night?_

_Of course. I'm looking forward to it._

_yeah._

Levi wanted to say me too, because he was, more than anything. He'd even managed to switch shifts with someone on Saturday so he wouldn't have to go into work early and could spend as much time with Erwin as possible. However, he didn't think he could keep his face straight or free of a blush if he did, and then his mom and uncle would never let the subject die.

So instead, he just put his phone down, and looked up to find Kuchel pointedly looking away and Kenny smirking.

Luckily, Levi was saved from any further embarrassing comments by Hange, who knocked on the door and entered on their own.

"Hello!" They said in their usual upbeat tone, waving at the three of them sitting on the couch. "Hi, Mr. Kenny!"

Kenny nodded and Levi raised an eyebrow at 'Mr. Kenny,' and then remembered that his uncle had been there a lot recently - enough, apparently, for Hange to feel comfortable enough to call him that.

"Hange, I made brownies." Kuchel said, standing up to greet them.

"Yum! What kind?"

Levi watched as his mother led Hange into the kitchen and listened to her offer them a brownie. Although her memory had lapsed a few times that night, Levi thought that otherwise she seemed more like her old self, more than he had seen her in a few weeks. It was good and made him feel a bit better, making him hope that perhaps she wasn't getting worse as fast as he had feared.

Hange's report later wasn't that positive, though, because apparently today had just been a good day. Kuchel's anxiety was still bad, they said, and in turn it seemed to be making her depression worse. It was common, but hopefully they said, her doctor's appointment on Friday would help.

"Doctor?" Kenny said, rubbing at his beard. "You going, shrimp?"

Levi clenched his jaw to fight back the wave of guilt that washed through him, and then shook his head. "No, I can't."

"Mr. Kenny, would you be able to go? Going to the doctor makes her more anxious to begin with, and I think having someone with her besides me will help!"

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I could go. Sounds boring as hell, but I'll do it."

"Great!" Hange said, clapping their hands together.

Then they asked for Kenny's cell phone number, and Levi found himself scowling while he waited to leave. For some reason, the thought of his uncle accompanying his mother to the doctor made him irritated, because he felt like _he_ should be going instead. Kenny had only been back for a short time and he was already visiting his mother more than he did, and now he was taking her to the doctor, doing things that Levi had been doing since the beginning.

It was only getting under his skin because he felt guilty though, and that realization made him feel worse. Really, he should be grateful that Kenny was going, and besides, if he really felt like he should all he had to do was cancel his date.

But he didn't want to do that. They'd already made the plans, and he didn't want Erwin to think that he didn't want to go with him or end up never rescheduling for whatever reason. Besides, if he did cancel, then he would have to explain why and in turn, about his mother.

There was nothing he could do, so he tried his best to swallow his ill feelings, but still stalked out of his mother's suite ahead of Kenny when they left. Kenny didn't say anything until they were in his car and Levi shut the door a little too hard, and fastened his seat belt with quick, jerky movements that caught his uncle’s attention.

"You got a date or something on Friday, shrimp?" He asked, looking at him from the side.

Levi opened his mouth to tell him no or none of his damned, shitty business, but then froze. Instead, he found himself nodding quickly after a moment, glancing away and out the window and waiting to see what Kenny would say. If he chastised him, Levi wasn't sure he'd be able to control his temper.

Surprisingly, though, he did not, and just reached over to ruffle his hair roughly.

"What the fuck?!" Levi snapped, shoving his hand away and looking at him in disbelief.

"Relax. Go on your date. I'll take care of your mama. You need a damn break, since you look like you're about to murder me."

"I wish I could." Levi muttered, his eyes a bit wide at what Kenny had said though.

That he hadn't expected. His uncle was just full of surprises lately, apparently, and Levi wasn't sure how to take it.

"I told you I'd help while I was here, didn't I?"

"No." Levi scoffed, because he didn't remember Kenny saying that.

"Well, I'm helping, alright? Shit. And use a condom or whatever, Kuchel will kill me if I let you-"

"Shut the fuck up."

"Yeah, yeah. Okay."

Levi sat back and stared straight out the window, wishing that he was anywhere else but inside this car with his uncle who insisted on embarrassing him as if he was still a teenager. It was annoying, but hearing Kenny basically excuse him to have a break, even in his own weird way, had made him feel a little less guilty about not being with his mother on Friday. He supposed there was nothing wrong with Kenny taking her, and either way, Hange would be there too in case he did anything stupid to upset her.

He was already getting over his unfair reticence about it from earlier, and by Friday morning, he was actually glad because it meant he wouldn’t have to worry about it all day.

Also, Kenny wouldn’t be around when Erwin came to pick him up.

By the time Levi got home from class that day he was gone, and he had just enough time to shower, get dressed, and pack a bag for the night before the clock struck 5 and he found himself looking out his front window.

He had expected Erwin to be right on time - he seemed punctual, after all - but he wasn’t there yet, and ten minutes passed before Levi started to bite his lip and stare at his phone. Erwin hadn’t texted him all day. What if he’d decided he didn’t want to do this, that he didn’t want to date Levi or see him anymore? Just as his thoughts started to rapidly run away from him, Levi’s cell suddenly rang, making him jump. It was Erwin, and he picked up so quickly that he almost cringed at himself.

 _“I’m running a bit late.”_ He said apologetically when Levi told him hello. _“I got stuck in a meeting at work. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes, okay?”_

“Tch. Okay.” Levi replied, instantly relieved that Erwin was on his way.

He disguised it with a scoff, though, and when Erwin spoke again he could hear a smile in his voice.

_“I’m sorry. Are you going to give me a hard time because of this?”_

“Maybe.” Levi said, feeling a little lighthearted now from anticipation. “I mean, yeah. I hope you think that just because we’ve fucked that you aren’t gonna have to work for it, daddy.”

At that, Erwin was quiet for half a second, and then he chuckled. _“We’ll see, Levi.”_

He’d spoken in a low voice, the rich tone going right into Levi’s ear and then down into his groin. He’d only been teasing, but Erwin's response caused him to sit there with red cheeks and a rapidly beating heart until Erwin finally arrived and parked in front of his house.

He got out of his car as if he was going to pick Levi up at the door, but he didn’t even make it to the sidewalk before Levi was locking his house behind him and heading that way. He threw his bag in the backseat when he got in and Erwin walked back around, and together they got settled in their seats and looked at each other.

Levi had to stop himself from reaching over to give him an immediate, eager kiss, but it was hard - especially when he saw what Erwin was wearing.

“You’re wearing a suit.” Levi said, his eyes roving over him as he buckled his seat belt.

It made him feel self-conscious because he was only wearing black slacks and a grey button down shirt. They were the nicest clothes he owned, and besides, weren’t they just going to a diner? That’s what he’d thought, but Erwin was dressed to the nines. His suit was light grey and fitted perfectly, the jacket’s black buttons left open so that Levi could see that he even wore a vest underneath it to match. That was fastened, though, over his white shirt and the light blue tie he wore - the same one he’d had on the first time they’d met, Levi noticed, the one that made his eyes stand out so well - all of it accessorized with a white handkerchief that stuck out of his chest pocket. It was an understatement to say that he looked good, and Levi couldn’t actually be too irritated when this is what he was going to be looking at all night.

“Yes. I had to go to court today. I was going to go home and change after work, but I didn’t have time.”

“Oh.” Levi said, swallowing.

He was staring, but he didn’t care, and let his eyes wander down between Erwin’s legs to where his pants had ridden up and were now tight against his crotch. It wasn’t hard to make out his bulge, and he suddenly had the urge to take the suit off of Erwin, one single piece at a time to reveal it.

“Levi.” Erwin said after a moment, starting his car. “You’re drooling. I thought you told me I was going to have to work for it.”

Levi’s eyes jerked up at that, a scowl forming on his face even faster than the blush was. “Fuck you. You aren’t being fair wearing that shit.”

“Really? I was thinking the same thing about you.” Erwin said, glancing at Levi from the side.

Levi made another face in confusion, because he didn’t think he looked much different than normal other than the effort he’d made to comb his hair back. That had failed because his bangs were already falling into his face again, and regardless, he certainly didn’t look as impressive as Erwin.

“Me?” He mumbled, looking at Erwin and then away again when he smiled.

“Yes.” Erwin said. He took his hand and brought it up to his lips to kiss the back of it, which certainly didn’t help Levi’s cheeks from becoming any more red than they already were. “I think you look very nice.”

Tangling their fingers together, Erwin leaned over, planting a kiss on Levi’s cheek and then his jaw, moving to his mouth when Levi turned his head to meet him. He let Erwin graze his lips over his own softly, parting them and closing his eyes while he reached over to grab at his tie with his free hand. He tugged on it until Erwin pulled away, his eyes bright while they looked searchingly into Levi’s.

Levi stared right back and ignored how warm his ears felt, remembering his teasing comment from earlier, and licked his lips before murmuring: “You’re gonna have to try harder than that, old man.”

Erwin paused for a moment and then laughed, kissing him once more quickly before reaching up to grasp the hand Levi had around his tie.

“At any rate, I can take this off if it will make you feel better. And the jacket and vest, too.”

“Fuck that.” Levi said, letting go of the tie. He tucked it back into his vest where it had come out a little and sat back into his seat. “Leave it on.”

“As you wish.” Erwin said, a smile still playing on his lips.

He put his car into drive and they pulled off, and Levi looked out the window, his eyes wide because he couldn’t shake the excitement he felt from the fact that they were going on their very first date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, the date :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Erwin!” Levi called out all of a sudden, Erwin’s name tumbling from his lips before he had even realized he’d said it.
> 
> Immediately, though, they both froze, Levi’s eyes going wide and fixing on Erwin’s face because, well, because he had never called him that before while they were in the bedroom. Up until that point it had been ‘daddy’ and ‘daddy’ only, and even if Erwin was much more to him than that now, saying his name in the throes of pleasure while he was wrapped up in his arms like this felt like he was admitting it out loud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want to say another HUGE thank you to everyone who has commented on this fic, given kudos, and read it in the first place! I'm very grateful for you all and continuously overwhelmed by the support for this story <3 
> 
> fyi, we're about halfway through it now, so I hope it continues to be enjoyable ;)

Once they headed off in his car, it didn’t take long for Erwin’s hand to settle on Levi’s leg beside him. He kept it there while they drove, its presence heavy and warm on top of Levi’s thigh, until Levi bit his lip, looked out the window, and reached down to grab Erwin’s fingers with his own.

Erwin tightened his grip around it and didn’t let go, of course, not until they were parking at the diner and climbing out of the car together. Levi was right in his suspicion that it was a casual place, and once they walked in he immediately saw that they were the most dressed up people there. He felt embarrassed and out of place - or at least, he would have if anyone was paying attention to him.

While they stood waiting for their table, he noticed that anyone who happened to gaze in their direction just looked at Erwin. There were quite a few women who threw him glances and one or two men too, not that Levi was surprised. He was tall and handsome and dressed sharply, but instead of feeling jealous it just made Levi feel a smug sense of satisfaction that he’d never experienced before because Erwin was with him.

That led to awe because shit, _Erwin was with him_ \- something that he still had a hard time wrapping his head around when he thought about how he’d found him on Craigslist. It had just been a hookup, one that had turned into several more despite every single one of Levi’s very strong, very convincing doubts. Now they were on a date, a _real_ date, and even though it was just the first one, whatever remaining confidence issues Levi had about Erwin liking him were dashed when he thought that out of everyone in this room staring at him, he had chosen to come here with Levi.

This was the first time they’d gone out in public together too, he realized, and although Levi would’ve thought he’d shy away from any public displays of affection, he didn’t protest when they were shown to their table and Erwin placed a guiding hand on his lower back. He let him do it, and he let him move their chairs closer together so that they weren’t sitting on opposite sides of the table too, and soon, Levi was drinking from some kind of sweet, diner themed cocktail and eating chili cheese fries.

He and Erwin both got large, messy burgers and more fries for their meal, and talked about whatever came to mind while they were eating. All in all it was casual and comfortable, and Levi didn't feel awkward at all. Not that he thought he would have - after all, he'd already spent a lot of time with and talking to Erwin - but there was just something about being around him that made Levi feel at ease.

It was more than distracting him from his troubles, too. It was comforting, something calming that made him feel like he didn't have to worry about anything. It was nice, he thought, considering that almost every other aspect of his life was complicated and stress inducing.

"Dessert?" Erwin asked after they'd finished eating, toeing at Levi's foot underneath the table. He'd had it pressed up against his the entire time, playfully nudging him with his knee every so often. "We can share a milkshake."

"Okay, now you're trying _too_ fucking hard." Levi said, his comment relating back to their teasing conversation earlier in Erwin’s car. He pushed back gently with his own foot even as he rolled his eyes though, sliding it on top of Erwin's and letting it sit there.

Sharing a milkshake? That was just about the cheesiest thing he'd ever fucking heard of, and just because he'd let Erwin play footsie with him in public and hold his hand and maybe even feed him a french fry or two didn't mean-

"They have 20 flavors and over 40 toppings." Erwin announced, flipping through the dessert menu as if he hadn't even heard Levi shit talking him. "Why don’t you pick a flavor and I’ll pick a topping? They have all kinds, what do you like? Chocolate, strawberry, caramel-”

“I like caramel, but I’m not gonna-”

“You won’t indulge me, Levi?”

“No. That’s fucking embarrassing.”

“What if we get it to go and drink it in the car?”

At that, Levi stopped protesting for just a second, a frown on his face that ran just as deep as his steadily growing blush. Erwin was smiling coyly down at the menu, and Levi had no doubt that he was doing this on purpose to tease him. Why the fuck else would he make such a big deal about something as trivial as sharing a milkshake?

“What do you say? How about a caramel milkshake with whipped cream and chocolate fudge on top?”

Levi chewed on his lip and then looked away, thinking. That sounded good, and it wasn’t as if he wasn’t up for dessert. The issue was sharing, but if they did it in the car like Erwin said, then no one would see, right? He’d probably still be a little embarrassed, but surely he could get over it this time for a milkshake.

“Fine.” He muttered, his eyes darting around before he spoke to make sure nobody in the diner had overheard the highly mortifying thing he’d just agreed to do.

“Wonderful.” Erwin said, waving over their waitress.

He ordered the milkshake - an extra large to go with a cherry on top, please - and then paid their tab once she brought it. Then he was walking to the car with it in his hand, behind Levi who was making his way there much more quickly.

“One straw, or two?” Erwin asked when they climbed into opposite sides of the car, holding up the handful of straws he’d grabbed as they’d left the diner.

“I’ve had your dick in my mouth, so I think one straw is fine.” Levi said nonchalantly, his voice as monotone as it would go.

He crossed his arms and legs and waited while Erwin raised an eyebrow but said nothing in response, opening the straw and sticking it into the milkshake. Then he took a sip and set it on top of the car’s console in between their seats, and looked at Levi expectantly.

“You’re a bastard.” He said, sighing before he shifted, uncrossing his arms again so that he could lean over to take a sip.

He was resigned to it, but luckily, the milkshake was delicious. It was also the perfect consistency, and cold, and had a flavorful amount of both caramel and vanilla ice cream. Erwin watched him the entire time though which made his cheeks go pink again, but he couldn’t help licking his lips thoroughly when he sat up since he already had Erwin’s attention.

“Your turn.” He said, reaching out to grab the cup when Erwin went to pick it up again.

If Erwin was going to make him lean over like that then it was only fair that he had too also, he thought, and Erwin looked at him pointedly when he moved before bending to drink. Levi watched him intently just as Erwin had him, glancing at the top of his head and his broad shoulders while he practically loomed over the much smaller milkshake.

It was almost amusing in his small car, but the sight of his lips wrapping around the straw was something else entirely - especially when his cheeks hollowed out from the force of the suction. It made Levi’s eyes widen in just the slightest, because what the fuck else was he supposed to think of other than Erwin sucking a dick? Well, not just a dick, _his_ dick, and if Erwin's face was anything to go by, he knew exactly what was going through his mind.

He was smiling, Levi saw, in a very specific way as he looked up at him while he drank. It was enough to make Levi scowl again, irritated that he'd gotten caught and at how ridiculous this all was, and when Erwin was done he snatched the milkshake away and sat back in his seat with it.

 _Enough of this shit._ He thought, deciding that he was going to drink his fill of it before handing it back to Erwin.

"Movie or drinks?" Erwin asked a moment later, nonplussed about Levi taking their dessert away from him.

“I don’t know if I want to share anymore drinks with you after what happened with this one.” Levi mumbled around a mouthful of milkshake, looking out the window while Erwin laughed and started the car again.

“So, a movie then. Or, there’s miniature golf.”

Pausing for a moment, Levi thought, considering the two options. He didn’t mind going to the movies, but he wasn’t sure what was playing, and if they went then they’d be spending two hours in the dark and in silence. He hadn’t played mini golf since he was about five years old and never would have gone on his own, but for some reason, the idea of doing it with Erwin actually sounded kind of fun. At least, just a little.

Instead of saying that though, Levi just shrugged like it didn’t matter. “Mini golf is fine.”

“Alright.” Erwin responded, chuckling like he hadn’t expected Levi to say that.

He drove away from the diner without another word though while Levi continued sipping their milkshake, and after about ten minutes they pulled up to the golf place. Levi had nearly had his fill of the dessert by then, and when Erwin parked the car, he handed it back to him. They almost didn’t make it out of the car again.

After bringing it to his lips, Levi watched as Erwin finished drinking - obviously wanting to finish it before they got out of the car - and picked up the cherry from the melting pile of whipped cream on top. He held it out to Levi and he blinked, looking down at the tiny, round, wet piece of red fruit between Erwin’s fingers as he went to raise his hand to take it.

Then he stopped with a sudden thought though, and hesitated for only another second before bending instead, leaning over and opening his mouth so that he could eat the cherry that way. He parted his lips just enough to wrap them around the tips of Erwin’s fingers, letting his tongue run over them and sucking, both so that he could taste the fruit and let his cheeks hollow out too, just like Erwin had done to him when he’d been drinking from the straw.

And just as his had probably done too, Erwin’s eyes went lidded while he watched him, his own lips parting in just the slightest while he stared. Levi could see because he’d made sure to flick his eyes up at him the entire time, wrapping a hand around Erwin’s wrist to steady his arm while he continued to suck, licking at the digits far past the point of any of them having any remaining juice left on them.

He only closed his eyes when Erwin curled them to press against the roof of his mouth, rubbing gently until Levi finally pulled off. Then, he bit into the cherry that was still in his mouth and chewed, licking his lips slowly and deliberately after he swallowed it.

The way Erwin was looking at him kept him frozen after, his gaze so intensely focused that Levi felt like a deer caught in headlights. His eyes were bright and filled with an icy blue heat that almost made Levi's breath catch in his throat, and the next thing he knew, Erwin had grabbed his jaw and was kissing him.

Immediately Levi responded, reaching across the car's console to clutch at the lapels of his suit jacket. He pulled him closer and arched into him when Erwin leaned over, licking the taste of the cherry from his mouth hungrily with his tongue. Erwin tasted just as sweet, Levi thought, like ice cream and sugar and caramel and-

Suddenly, a car door slammed next to them, and Levi jumped, his eyes flying open from where they had fluttered closed. He pulled away quickly back to his side of the car, letting go of Erwin’s jacket and focusing on his face to find him smiling.

"So, I suppose I've worked hard enough then?" He said, sounding breathless even though they hadn’t kissed long.

It had been eager and excitable for all its shortness though, and naturally, Levi was already halfway to having a full hard-on.

"What if I said yes?" He asked, wondering if, at this point, he could even make it through a game of mini golf.

"Then I can give you what I've been wanting to all night once we get home." Was Erwin's response, said in a voice that almost made Levi groan. He bent again to kiss him lightly, his lips lingering over Levi's as he looked over his shoulder. "But first...there’s a new mini golf course over there that I want to play with you."

"Are you serious?" Levi breathed, staring into Erwin's eyes from over his cheekbones.

"I am. I wanted to take you out. I still do. Unless you really would rather not."

Levi swallowed, trying to think with his brain instead of his dick. He didn't have anything against finishing the date, he was just horny now, not to mention impatient. The combination made him want to skip it, but Erwin's words caused him to rethink it. They were sincere and there was something sweet about it, and, well, if Erwin wanted to play mini golf with him he couldn't complain. Besides, there would be plenty of time to fuck later.

"We can go." He said then, adjusting his half-hard cock in his pants to better hide his bulge. "To your damn golf course, I mean."

"Alright." Erwin smiled, kissing him once more quickly before together, they climbed out of the car.  

It took nearly the entire fifteen minutes they spent standing in line for Levi to calm down, and it took another twenty minutes for him to start getting riled up again. This time, though, it was for a different reason: Levi was apparently fucking terrible at mini golf. It made sense that he wouldn’t be great because it wasn’t like he played this shit all the time, but it seemed that he couldn’t get the ball in the hole in under at least 8 swings. Erwin, on the other hand, was decent, and sometimes even got a hole in one on the easier courses, leaving Levi cursing and shuffling around behind him with his stupid miniature golf club while he waited. He found himself getting flustered by about the 5th hole, when the obstacles started getting harder and he just could _not_ get his ball past the goddamn windmill blocking the way

“Fuck.” He swore under his breath after he missed for the 7th time, gritting his teeth and trying to resist the urge to beat the shit out of the thing with his club.

He couldn’t do that because there were children around though, and also because this was just a stupid kid’s game and he shouldn’t be getting so mad about it. But he couldn’t help it, and the constant smile Erwin wore on his face while watching him wasn’t helping. He was obviously amused, and only growing more so every time Levi tried and failed to get his ball past the windmill blades.

“Do you want to skip this one?” He finally said after a moment, fondly watching Levi scowl after his golf ball bounced off of it and rolled all the way back to his feet.

Frowning, Levi considered it. There was a line of people behind them, and he was starting to get embarrassed. They weren’t keeping score so it wasn’t like it fucking mattered, so after a second, he just shrugged, snatching up his ball and stalking past Erwin to the next hole. Erwin just chuckled and followed him, wrapping an arm around his front and bending to kiss the top of his head sweetly when Levi stopped.

“If you want to leave at any time, we can.” He murmured into his hair. “It doesn’t seem like you’re having very much fun.”

“It’s fine.” Levi said back, biting his lip and leaning against Erwin’s chest. He wasn’t _not_ having fun because he was with Erwin, he was just impatient, and this game was slow and testing his limits. He knew Erwin had wanted to do it though, and after all, he had paid, so Levi wasn’t going to quit just because he was a poor sport. “Stop that shit, though. You’re scaring the kids.”

He mumbled the last part because Erwin had started nuzzling him and making him go red, squirming away and motioning for Erwin to go ahead. It was his turn, and besides, at the very least Levi was enjoying getting an eyeful of him every time he bent to golf.

It was part amusing, part, well, mouthwatering every time Erwin set his ball down and held his club out in front of him - funny because he was so tall and he had to hunch over, and hot because the way he crouched made his ass stick out and the suit pants tighten over his backside. He always took his time aiming his shot too, and if Levi had been able to stop staring at him, he might have been able to pick up some tips and done better when his turn to golf came around.

Unfortunately, though, by the time he always managed to tear his eyes away from Erwin he had already swung, and his ball was on its way past whatever obstacle was in its path and halfway to plopping down into the hole.

“You’re a bastard.” Levi told him when Erwin sunk it in after 3 swings, 1 under par and about 6 under what it was probably going to take Levi to get it in.

“No, I just have good aim when it comes to small holes.” Erwin said, his face kept so straight that Levi was not sure whether he was intending to make a joke or not.

Either way, it made Levi scoff and cause his cheeks to pinken at the same time, because he could not help his mind from immediately descending into the gutter.

“Tch.” He said, stepping up to position his ball and golf club. “We’ll see about that later, old man.”

Erwin laughed but didn’t reply, because like Levi earlier, he was too busy staring at his ass. That was fine, Levi thought, because if he sucked at mini golf at least Erwin found him appealing. Apparently, Erwin was thinking the same thing, because the next time Levi passed by him he brushed his hand over it discreetly, and from that point onward Erwin’s flirting just got worse. He kept teasing him, and standing as close to him as he could, and sneaking touches to his backside or brief kisses when he was sure no one was looking, and by the time they finally finished the fucking course, Levi was ready to break his golf club in half from frustration because of that rather than how badly he had played.

Somehow, they made it to the car and got on the road without stopping to make out or anything like that though, but Erwin’s hand resting again on Levi’s thigh - this time, his fingers tickling the inside of it and occasionally squeezing - was probably just as worse for his patience. When they were finally back at Erwin’s apartment and Erwin had let them both inside, Levi did not waste another second before he tossed his overnight bag away somewhere and pressed himself to Erwin’s front, sliding his arms around him and inside of his suit jacket.

Their urgency had somehow lessened a bit on the ride home, so Levi didn’t protest when Erwin gently cupped the back of his head and wrapped his other arm around his shoulder, standing there silently for a tight, warm hug.

"Did you have a good time?" Erwin murmured after a moment, his fingers tickling Levi's scalp as he ran them through his hair.

"Yeah."

It was true, their date had been pleasant enough. He liked spending time with Erwin, of course, and he'd enjoyed going out even if it wasn't always his thing, and even if he’d discovered he was fucking terrible at miniature golf. Regardless, though, it was what it meant that uplifted his mood the most, because it had gone so well that he was sure it was going to make whatever this relationship was even better.

“So did I.” Erwin said.

There was a contented note in his voice as he spoke, and he shifted after a second to place a kiss to the top of Levi’s head. Of course, that led to Levi finally moving too, tilting his chin up for Erwin to press his lips to his forehead, his nose, his cheeks and finally, his mouth.

That was all it took for them to be locked into a tight embrace again, a sigh escaping from Levi’s throat as he pushed himself up onto his toes to meet Erwin for it. He let his tongue slip inside his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut, and only found himself moving again when Erwin started to shrug his jacket off.

“Wait.” Levi said, swallowing and grabbing a hold of it to stop him. “I wanna do it.”

“Do what?”

“I wanna take it off.” He answered, tugging Erwin backward a step. “Come on, daddy.”

He was talking about the suit - all of it, not just Erwin’s jacket. He was still wearing the full thing, including his vest and tie, and Levi had been admiring him in it all night. Subsequently, he’d been imagining taking him out of it too, and had decided a long time ago that if he had Erwin at his disposal he was going to do it himself.

Erwin stared down at him but didn’t protest, only raising his eyebrows as Levi stepped back again. Slowly, he pulled him out of Erwin’s living room and down the hall towards his bedroom, walking backwards while Erwin followed him. Even though they’d just gotten home it wasn’t rushed, not like it had felt in the car or when they’d just left the mini golf place, anyway.

It wasn’t like Levi hadn’t been looking forward to this part of their night all through the date, or anything like that, but now that they were home he felt like he had all night. It was probably because he wasn’t leaving after and didn’t have to worry about having to get back to his house until the next day. That was something else that filled him with excited butterflies, and once they’d stepped inside Erwin’s bedroom he didn’t push his jacket over his shoulders until after they shared another long kiss. Erwin watched him with heated interest while he stepped around to pull it off his arms, gripping the thick, grey fabric tightly and watching how his shoulder blades bunched underneath his vest and shirt before throwing it across the arm of a nearby armchair.

Next, he reached up to run his hand over Erwin’s clothed shoulders, palming the hard, thick muscle beneath before trailing his fingers down his spine and over his ass. He gave it a hard, quick squeeze on a whim, and then walked back around to rub his thumb over one of the shiny black buttons on Erwin’s vest. It fit his body so snugly, Levi thought not for the first time, showing off his trim waist, and he let his eyes linger a moment before undoing it from the top down. He pushed that over Erwin’s shoulders too and discarded it, and then didn’t skip a beat before he went for his belt.

While he unbuckled it, Erwin took the opportunity to run his hands over Levi’s shoulders himself, digging his fingers into the muscles of his neck until Levi swatted him away and jerked the thin strip of leather out of his pants roughly.

"Careful." Erwin said quietly, catching Levi's wrist before he could drop it. "That was expensive."

"You wouldn't be complaining if you broke it over my ass." Levi quipped back, gazing up at Erwin, remaining silent for a moment before he let go and the belt fell to the ground.

What was the worst that could happen, he thought, Erwin giving him a real spanking this time?

"If I did that, I'd be far more worried about your ass than my belt." Erwin murmured, bending so he could grab Levi's ass cheeks.

He gripped one in each hand and squeezed, nuzzling his neck while Levi scoffed and went for Erwin's tie. He snatched the base of it in one hand, fingering the silk, and took the knot in the palm of his other. Before loosening it, he tugged hard enough to get Erwin’s attention and to make him pull away from where his face was still buried against Levi’s throat, giving him a look that said ‘be still’ before he started to carefully undo the knot.

After sliding it from his neck he was more hurried, because now all that stood between him and Erwin's broad, bare chest was a thin, white button down shirt. He was ready to see him, to touch his warm skin, and Erwin's hands rubbing all over him - not to mention his lips, which were back at Levi's neck like they’d never even left - weren't helping him to retain any of his newfound patience.

His fingers flicked the buttons of the shirt open with ease though, licking his lips as more and more of Erwin’s torso was revealed until finally, he was shoving the cotton over his shoulders and pressing his palms to his skin. Erwin shrugged his arms out of it haphazardly as soon as Levi started touching him, fumbling and tossing it to the floor rather than setting it aside neatly like everything else. When his arms were free he jerked Levi to him roughly by grabbing at his waist, pulling him to his chest in a hurry like he couldn’t contain himself any longer.

Apparently the excitement and Levi’s slow removal of his clothes had gotten to him too, because he dipped his head down to find Levi’s mouth so he could kiss him, the movements of his lips and tongue much hungrier than they had been before. Levi trailed his fingers over Erwin’s nipples and then through his chest hair, finally sliding them over his big shoulders so he could wrap his arms around his neck.

Then Erwin was pushing him back towards the bed even though Levi hadn’t ridden him of his pants yet, but even though he wanted to scoff he couldn’t stop him. Not when he was kissing him so thoroughly, anyway, cupping his cheeks first with one hand and then the other, holding Levi’s face still while they stepped backward until he found himself flat on his back with his legs hanging off the edge of the bed.

Erwin did not follow him. Instead, he removed Levi of his shirt and then settled between his legs, kneeling in front of him, wrapping an arm around Levi’s middle next and kissing at his bare abdomen when Levi sat up.

“What are you doing?” He asked, locking his legs around Erwin all the same.

“I’m going to suck you off.” Erwin said, his voice quiet, determined. “Don’t tell me you haven’t been thinking about it since the milkshake.”

Erwin’s comment about the milkshake was fucking ridiculous right then, but even so, Levi felt his mouth go dry at the words. He was too taken aback with arousal to respond even if, yes, he had been imagining Erwin blowing him when he’d been drinking it, his speechlessness made all the worse when Erwin bent to start mouthing at his clothed bulge. A second later and he found himself tipped backward onto the bed when Erwin grabbed his thigh and pushed it up into the air, undoing his pants and pulling them first down over his ass before stripping them completely off his legs.

Then his lips were on Levi’s cock, soft and teasing along the sensitive skin as they made their way up his length. It was nothing but a light, tickling touch, but it was enough to make Levi sigh and then gasp, dangling his bare thighs over Erwin's shoulders where he'd placed them. He settled back onto the bed, but kept his head tilted down and his eyes on Erwin, willing himself not to close them no matter how good it felt because he wanted to watch.

It was worth it, he decided, when Erwin took the plump head of his cock into his mouth after lapping at him all over, his lips parting around it and sliding down - down, down, down until it bumped the back of Erwin's throat and his nose was brushing against the soft hairs on Levi's belly.

"Shit-" The curse left his mouth before he could stop it, turning into a moan when Erwin swallowed and his throat clenched around him.

His blue eyes had been closed but he looked up at Levi then, out from underneath strands of blonde hair that had fallen out of place, before moving his mouth up and off his cock in one slow, sucking movement.

"You taste good." He said once it had slipped from between his lips, practically purring the words before he tongued at Levi’s balls. “Here, too. I don’t want to take my mouth off of you.”

All Levi could manage in response was a whimper, tossing his head back and bucking his hips, bringing a palm up to wind thin, trembling fingers into the hair at the top of Erwin’s head. His other hand moved almost aimlessly to the side of Erwin's face, grasping at his cheek and ear as if he was trying to find some kind of purchase from the pleasure that was threatening to overwhelm him already.

In response, Erwin wrapped his own fingers around Levi’s wrist and took his cock into his mouth again, rubbing his skin gently with one thumb even while he sucked hard enough on Levi’s length to make his cheeks hollow out. His mouth sunk down and he swallowed him just as smoothly as he had before, the tip of him pushing past the back of Erwin’s throat like it was nothing. Levi somehow still had enough functioning brain cells left in his head to contemplate how easily Erwin was doing that, fitting all of his girth inside his mouth without having to even fucking work up to it.

It wasn’t like Levi was huge like Erwin, but he wasn't necessarily small either. He was average, maybe even a little above that if his petite stature in general was taken into account, but Erwin had relaxed his jaw and fit his full length inside his mouth as easily as if he was taking a drink of water. Now he was bobbing up and down eagerly, sucking and slurping and swallowing around him, his full, gorgeous lips stretched around Levi’s swollen cock wetly. He let his cheeks hollow out again and Levi pressed a thumb along his cheekbone, groaning deeply when Erwin’s tongue flicked along his head, arching sharply when he felt Erwin's saliva covered chin and pointed nose ghosting against his belly. His mouth was searing hot and his throat was tight, and the sight of his huge form hunched over Levi's much smaller legs and hips at the end of the bed was nearly enough to make him shudder when Levi finally opened his eyes again.

"Daddy!" He moaned, rolling his hips up towards his mouth and clenching his thighs around his shoulders. _"Daddy-"_

He squirmed because he could feel his release building, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to come like this or not. Either way he couldn’t fight it, and he wasn’t about to pull Erwin away when it all felt so good, and when all of his writhing on the bed suddenly got him a single finger pushed inside his ass, the digit slicked up from the saliva that had dripped down over his balls to wet his ass crack.

" _Oh,_ fuck!” Levi blurted in a choked off voice, clenching around the intruding finger and taking gasping, shuddering breaths as the combined feeling of that and Erwin’s mouth pushed him right up to the edge.

His hips bucked a moment later, desperately, and he fisted his hand around a chunk of blonde hair because he needed something, _anything_ to hold on to. He tugged - perhaps a bit harder than he’d meant to - but Erwin just groaned in response, the sound rumbling deep in his chest and loudly enough that the vibrations seemed to travel right up his throat and through Levi's cock. He crooked his finger and let Levi buck his hips up again to push himself down Erwin's throat, sucking around him sharply and swallowing enough times to make him cry out.

A second later and he was shaking uncontrollably and gasping, his toes curling as all the tension that had been building in his belly suddenly released, and as he spilled white hot come into Erwin's mouth. His orgasm nearly caused him to see stars, and it didn't help when Erwin kept sucking him through it, rubbing inside him with his finger while the blissful feeling coursed through him until he was practically writhing from the sensations.

When he was finished Erwin finally pulled off of him, letting his cock slip from his lips slowly and lazily like he didn’t want to let it go, making sure to lick any last remainder of come from it before he started mouthing his way up Levi’s stomach. He crawled onto the bed with him and then onto his side, hoisting Levi's thigh around his waist when he curled against him seamlessly. Their lips met, Erwin's head directed toward Levi's by his hands, his fingers winding in Erwin’s hair again as he pulled him down for a breathless, heated kiss.

Levi could taste himself on Erwin's tongue when he opened his mouth, musky and bitter and salty from sweat but he didn't care, and arched against him in an attempt to press every inch of their bare skin together. Unfortunately, it caused his bare cock to brush against the fabric of Erwin’s pants, and that was when he remembered he was still wearing them - something that certainly wouldn't do if they were going to keep going.

"I take it you're not finished yet." Erwin murmured a few moments later, the words ghosting against Levi's lips while they kissed, and once Levi started fumbling with his zipper.

He was smiling, Levi could tell, and when he opened his grey eyes to look into Erwin's blue ones - bright with fondness and warm with lust - he couldn't help but smile back.

It was just the tiniest upward curve, but Erwin noticed and ran fingers through his hair as he pulled back to look. He kissed him again, softer this time, and suddenly rolled them both over so that he was pinning him down against the bed.

"Either way, it doesn't feel like you are, _daddy_." Levi said in response, licking his lips and shifting until he could gently push his thigh up against Erwin's crotch.

He figured he had to be aching, and sure enough, Erwin grunted a bit at the light pressure, dipping his head down to latch his mouth around one of Levi’s nipples. He fit his teeth around the nub and tugged when Levi pressed his leg up harder against his erection, sharply enough for him to arch against Erwin and let out a hitching gasp.

“Erwin!” He called out all of a sudden, Erwin’s name tumbling from his lips before he had even realized he’d said it.

Immediately, though, they both froze, Levi’s eyes going wide and fixing on Erwin’s face because, well, because he had never called him that before while they were in the bedroom. Up until that point it had been ‘daddy’ and ‘daddy’ only, and even if Erwin was much more to him than that now, saying his name in the throes of pleasure while he was wrapped up in his arms like this felt like he was admitting it out loud.

Not that it mattered, but it still made Levi flush, his cheeks burning red with a warmth that was present in his chest too. He stared up at Erwin and Erwin looked right back down at him, his eyes bright and his breath coming hard, a brief, almost awed look crossing his face before he then jerked his head back down to capture Levi’s lips in a hard, ardent kiss. It was hungry and excited and messy too all the same time, so consuming that immediately, Levi just moaned into Erwin’s mouth and wrapped arms around his neck. He clung to him like that until Erwin pulled away, hurriedly fumbling around the nightstand for the lube and kicking off his pants while Levi rubbed himself against him.

 _“Levi.”_ He groaned when his cock brushed Levi’s thigh, voicing his name in an echo of what Levi had done just moments ago in the same desperate tone.

Levi knew what he was aching for, but he couldn’t have it, not just yet. They had to get him opened up first, and with his help, Erwin had two fingers inside him beside one of Levi’s own as fast as they could without causing any damage. By then Levi was hard and leaking again, so turned on still that he hadn’t even really gone all the way soft. Once he was ready, Erwin sat back on his calves and pulled him up into his lap so he could hold him tightly like that, wrapping his arms around him while Levi straddled his thighs and rode him that way with the sheets tangled around them.

His arms were locked around Erwin’s shoulders too while he moved, his cock trapped between their bodies which were pressed against each other as tightly as they could, fit together perfectly even while he bounced up and down. Levi was panting and gasping with exertion by the time he got close again, mewling tiny moans into Erwin’s mouth while he kissed him over and over and over again. His mouth was tender, Levi thought at some point, the press of his arms around him gentle despite how tightly he was cradling him, but when Erwin’s own upward thrusts began to falter, he suddenly pulled away.

“Say my name again, Levi.” He said breathlessly, locking eyes with him, both of his cheeks two bright red spots on his face. “Please-”

His request trailed off into a groan when Levi clenched around his cock, his brows going down in confusion at the same time. His first instinct was still to say daddy, but no, that wasn’t what Erwin meant. He wanted Levi to say his real name like he had before, while he was moving inside him this time, while he was teasing the place where they were joined with his fingers and while they were both on the very edge of release.

Swallowing, Levi opened his mouth, too far gone at that point to even worry about being embarrassed. He lifted shaking hands to grasp Erwin’s cheeks and looked at him, a warm rush going through him when their eyes met that had nothing to do with the overwhelming pleasure still building in his groin. He was close, so close that he actually wasn’t sure if he could form words to do what Erwin wanted, the angle he was still riding him at causing him to almost default into speechlessness because Erwin was grazing his prostate.It was causing his legs to shake, and every time he moved his cock rubbed against Erwin’s stomach too, making a mess in the wet, sticky trail it had left there while Levi’s belly tensed up from the friction.

“Erwin.” He finally managed to choke out a second later, sitting down in his lap hard suddenly and taking him in all the way. “Erwin!” He said again, Erwin’s name coming out in a moan this time, his fingers digging into his cheeks because he’d come, releasing for the second time that night and going completely rigid with pleasure. “Erwin, Erwin, Erwin-” He continued to say, apparently unable to stop once he had gotten started. He was barely aware of what was coming out of his mouth anyway though, because Erwin had just lifted him up enough to keep fucking up into him once he’d started spilling all over his stomach. His hips were jerking desperately and he was grunting in exertion, his eyes squeezing shut a moment later when Levi called out his name one last time. _“Erwin!_ "

That last one was apparently enough to push Erwin over the edge, the loudest moan Levi had ever heard coming from him leave his lips as he hugged Levi to his chest and buried his face against his neck. He trembled too, and Levi felt his ass fill with warm wetness, the feeling making him whimper and shudder too and hold onto Erwin like he would fall backward if he didn’t.

"Levi." Erwin finally said a few moments later once they’d calmed down, sighing his name against the skin of his throat in a blissful, contented tone before he kissed his way up Levi’s jaw towards his mouth.

Levi tangled trembling fingers into his hair while he did so, moving his lips against Erwin’s when they touched, the way he laid him down gently a moment later doing nothing to stop the way his pulse was still pounding. It was hammering in his ears loudly like a drum, and hadn’t stopped since he’d come with Erwin’s name spilling from his throat. It was causing him to flush all over again as he thought about it, but also to curl against Erwin’s side without hesitation when he finally rolled off him, resting his head on his chest and throwing an arm over his middle.

They stayed like that for at least thirty minutes, once Erwin tucked Levi’s head under his chin and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He rubbed his back too and Levi listened to his heartbeat, and thought about how Erwin’s face looked when he’d called out his name and what it might mean. He’d looked stricken - but not with anything bad. It was the opposite, it was deepening fondness and building trust and growing attachment, and Levi felt all of it too.

It was kind of scary when he thought about it, mostly because he hadn’t been in this deep with anyone else before, and also because Levi knew whatever they were doing, it still wasn’t anything official. Whatever happened though, he knew, it was too late. He’d already started giving Erwin pieces of his heart, and for now, he supposed, he should just enjoy having what Erwin had already given to him too.

“What do you want to do now?” Erwin murmured into his hair then, interrupting Levi’s thoughts and bringing him back to reality.

“Shower.” He managed to answer almost immediately, recalling with a pleased feeling that for once, he didn’t have to leave when he was clean.

Erwin must have been thinking the same thing, because after humming thoughtfully for a moment he suggested something else, something that to Levi, sounded much, much better and more relaxing. “How about a bath?”

At that, Levi sat up, nodding because, well, he enjoyed taking baths. It was probably silly, but he found them calming and warm, and he liked how he could take his time getting himself clean unlike in the shower where he always felt rushed. It was also one of the few places he could have assured, complete privacy for extended periods of time, and although now he would be with Erwin, he _supposed_ it was fine as long as it was him. Either way, it had been months since he'd had time to take one, and there was no way in hell that he was going to turn his offer down.

"A bath, then." Erwin said, giving him a small smile before kissing him one last time. "Wait here."

Levi obeyed, only moving enough to roll over onto his side to stare at Erwin's ass while he got up and walked to the bathroom, and then found himself lounging in the middle of his big bed while he listened to the muted sounds of running water. He stretched and then curled his arms around a pillow, yawning and feeling incredibly lazy and relaxed while he waited. It was nice, he thought, and he almost didn't want to get up when ten minutes later Erwin peeked his head around the doorframe to tell him the bath was ready.

The call of the warm water was too much though, so he climbed off the bed and made his way into the bathroom just as Erwin turned off the faucet. He already had one leg in the tub, and as Levi watched, he stepped into it fully and eased himself down, drawing his knees up and holding his arms out for Levi to join him.

He didn't even hesitate for a second. It all looked incredibly inviting, and once he dipped his foot into the water he decided it felt that way too. Erwin had gotten the temperature perfect, not too cold and not too hot, but just right so that he could turn around and seat himself between Erwin's legs without having to adjust. He’d even added some kind of bath oil, he realized, noticing the foam that had bubbled up and the scent of flowers. He spotted the bottle on the edge of the tub a second later and saw that it was definitely for women and looked old, and although he found it odd, he didn’t have time to ask before Erwin’s arms were sliding around his middle and pulling him backward.

Levi settled against him immediately, extending his legs and leaning back, feeling a nudge to the back of his head a second later that was probably Erwin nosing at his hair. It was only then that he realized how intimate this was too - almost just as much as Levi uttering his name in the bedroom - and out of reflex he automatically tensed up and flushed at the thought.

"Levi?" Erwin said from behind him, obviously sensing his sudden change in demeanor. "Is the water too hot?"

Levi swallowed, pausing, and then relaxed again, because although the thought of their closeness here had caught him off guard, the flash of anxiety had disappeared even quicker than it had come. After everything they'd been doing, he remembered, this was now alright. It was normal, and he even liked it.

"No." He said quietly, shifting and speaking louder in an attempt to cover himself. "I sat on one of my balls."

At his offhanded comment, Erwin’s hand was between his legs before Levi even knew what was happening. He should have known that he wouldn’t just brush it off.

“Ah. Allow me.” He said, grabbing at Levi’s cock and balls so suddenly that it caused him to lurch forward in the water.

“Hey!” He said loudly over the sound of splashing, squirming against the arm that was still holding him tightly around his waist.

Erwin’s grip had been gentle, of course, it’d just surprised him, and his first instinct when someone abruptly grabbed his fucking balls outside of the bedroom was to jerk away. His hand left as quickly as it had moved though, after tickling the sides of his legs as if he was making sure Levi wasn’t sitting on anything sensitive like he’d said. Then Erwin was laughing, a mostly quiet chuckle that he felt in the way he was shaking behind him rather than heard.

“Bastard.” Levi muttered, relaxing again and letting his arms rest on the edges of the tub. “Pervert.”

“Can’t decide?” Erwin said, his lips on Levi’s neck.

“No. You’re just both.”

“I see. How cruel.”

Levi only just managed not to roll his eyes, wondering how Erwin expected him to believe he was seriously bothered by his comments when he couldn’t keep his hands off him. He was still kissing his neck, and once Levi had unbristled from his teasing, he twisted his head around to meet Erwin’s mouth with his own.

It was just a quick kiss - or, he’d meant it to be before he watched Erwin close his eyes and his lids followed suit too, fluttering shut at the same time as his lips parted. They made out for a few minutes like that, although Levi wasn’t sure that it could even be called that because their movements were so slow and lazy. Finally, after Erwin had caused his face to flush in a way that wasn’t from the warm water, he pulled away, and decided that he should probably start getting clean before the reason for their bath became moot in the first place.

That was when he noticed the loofa and the foot scrubber and the assortment of tiny bottles of body wash, lotion, gel, shampoo and conditioner all sitting inside a basket in the corner at the edge of the tub, when all he had been looking for was the soap. A bar of it was there too, of course, but he was immediately distracted by all of the other items - mainly because they were obviously marketed for women. They were all pink and had flowery names and scents, just like the bath oil Erwin had used, and it made Levi squint suspiciously.

Why did Erwin have all of this shit? It was possible that maybe he just liked using that kind of stuff - and hey, even if he did, who was Levi to judge? - but he hadn’t really seemed like the type. There had been nothing like this in his shower, save for a standard bar of soap and a bottle of basic 2-in-1 men’s shampoo and conditioner.

If that wasn’t the reason, then what could it be? Did Erwin have a girlfriend?

That was the only other explanation Levi could think of, because he wasn’t stupid. Obviously Erwin wasn’t straight since he liked sticking his face in other men’s asses, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t bisexual or anything like that. It wasn’t like they were official either as Levi had been contemplating earlier, so for all he knew, Erwin had been dating a woman on the side this whole time. The thought still made him frown though, and develop a cold, anxious pit in his stomach, disappointment filling him at the thought because of how close to him he’d felt not even a few minutes ago.

Warily and trying to hide the fact that it would bother him if Erwin _was_ dating two people at the same time, Levi twisted around, fixing him with an intent look over his shoulder.

“Whose shit is that?” He asked, gesturing towards the basket full of fluffy sponges and women’s bath products.

“It belonged to an ex-girlfriend.” Erwin responded immediately, eyeing Levi like he was trying to read him. “She left me a few years ago.”

“So why do you still have it?”

Levi scooted forward until he was across the tub and in front of the basket, inspecting the items closer while he spoke. That was when he noticed the layer of dust on all of it, and reached out a finger to wipe a clean line across one of the bottles.

“Well, at first I didn’t want to throw her things out in case she came back.” Erwin began, causing Levi to raise an eyebrow. Come back? There wasn’t any chance she could come back _now_ , was there? “She didn’t, though. And then I suppose I just never bothered. I don’t use the tub, so I barely noticed it in the first place.”

Frowning, Levi digested Erwin’s explanation for a moment, and then studied the dust on his finger. It certainly supported what he’d just told him, and when he thought about it, he didn’t have any reason to think Erwin would lie to him. He trusted him as much as he could for only knowing him a little over a month, and after another second, decided he was telling the truth.

“Weirdo.” He said though, because if it were him, he was sure he would’ve thrown his ex’s shit out the moment they left. He grabbed the bar of soap he’d been eyeballing and then twisted around, seating himself against the back of the tub opposite of Erwin. “I didn’t know you liked women too.”

“I like you.” Erwin said immediately, reaching forward to grab one of Levi’s feet under the water. “Isn’t that all that matters?”

Levi hadn’t been implying anything. Honestly, he didn’t give a shit about Erwin’s sexual orientation as long as it didn’t affect or change anything with him, and he didn’t think it was going to. Still, his words made him falter for a moment, looking at him quietly while his heart skipped a beat before he nodded.

Apparently, hearing Erwin say that wasn’t going to stop making him flustered anytime soon, he thought, biting his lip while he started soaping himself up.

The rest of the bath was just as relaxing as it had been before Levi had briefly thought Erwin might be an asshole, and they cleaned up together, unable to resist the chance to touch when they were wet and covered with slick soap. They stayed in the tub until the water began to grow cold and then climbed out, Levi ignoring his boner for once because he was actually exhausted.

His eyelids were drooping, even, as he dried off and found another one of Erwin's shirts to drown himself in, and Erwin echoed his sentiments a second later when he yawned.

"Ready for bed?" He asked, not even bothering to put any clothing on after he dried himself off.

He tossed his towel aside onto the floor and went to crawl under the sheets when Levi nodded, but he didn’t join him until he’d straightened up their clothing a bit from where half of it was strewn about the ground.

He couldn’t help it; he didn’t like leaving a mess and was used to picking up after himself at home, as it was something his mother had instilled in him since he was a child because working long hours at a factory meant she always needed all the help he could give.

Erwin, on the other hand, seemed to not care about whether his apartment was cluttered or not, something Levi had noticed during his previous visits but hadn’t felt comfortable enough to do anything about until now. Erwin found his cleaning amusing, apparently, because he watched him from the bed with a smile as Levi put their used towels in a nearby laundry basket, folded his clothing, and made sure Erwin’s suit was still hanging over its chair neatly.

That was about all Levi had the patience and energy for though before he was longing to crawl into bed with Erwin, and once he was there tucked up beside him, warm in his arms and with Erwin’s back pressed against his chest, Levi slept soundly like a baby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edit: i was gifted some lovely fanart of eruris on their date in this chapter by mikoto! you can view it [here](http://wheniseelevimyheartgoesdokidoki.tumblr.com/post/135124242799/levi-was-embarassed-when-erwin-put-his-hand-around). thank you mikoto :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi had to admit, he had no idea what Erwin was going to pull out of his drawer, and dozens of possibilities ran through his mind, from handcuffs to a flogger to anal beads, or maybe even an actual ball gag this time. Instead though, what Erwin pulled out was the last thing Levi had probably expected to see: a large, pink gift bag from a popular women’s lingerie store.
> 
> “What’s that?” Levi asked, confusion lacing his tone.
> 
> “Panties.” Erwin said, setting the bag down in Levi’s hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter contains docking, which IF YOU DON'T KNOW IS (according to urban dictionary): "Docking is a verb describing the act of stretching one mans foreskin over another mans penis. It can only be practiced between men if one of them is uncircumcised. This "foreplay" is best mixed with a little lube or pre-come prior to the fun begins."
> 
> I wanted to write this for a while because of reasons, and I kind of stuck it in here on a whim so if it's not your thing it starts right after Levi climbs on top of Erwin at the beginning of the chapter. Also, I've never written it before, so I'm sorry if its awkward or anything like that (can you tell I'm nervous about this?!). If you DO find it interesting but it's hard for you to picture, I definitely recommend looking up a video ;)

The morning after his and Erwin’s date, Levi felt like he’d gotten more rest than he had in months. The warmth and comfort of Erwin’s bed kept him out like a light, and he actually got to sleep in - something that he was sure he hadn’t been able to do in at least a year.

When he woke up, finally, jostled out of sleep by a bunch of noisy birds outside Erwin’s window, he opened his eyes to squint at the clock on the nightstand. It was after 10:00 AM, he saw, and after shuddering from a particularly powerful yawn, he shifted a bit to stretch. That was when a pair of strong arms found their way around him, one wrapping around his waist and the other sliding underneath his shoulders. He stilled when he felt it, pausing midway in his stretch to let Erwin move closer and settle against his back. He pulled Levi to his chest too and tucked his knees underneath Levi’s bent ones, and pressed his lips lightly to the skin just underneath his hairline.

It all made him shiver and blush furiously, but he didn’t hesitate before squirming backwards to get as close as possible inside Erwin’s embrace either. He was incredibly warm and solid, and half tucked underneath him like this, Levi felt cozy and snug enough that he could barely keep his eyelids open.

“Good morning.” Erwin murmured though, his voice hoarse from sleep until it turned into a yawn.

Levi mumbled something unintelligible back that might have been a good morning too, but let his lashes flutter closed when Erwin squeezed his middle. Lying there, he sighed in contentment and found himself drifting off again after a few minutes, until Erwin breathed against the back of his neck and shifted his nose into his hair, planting another kiss against his scalp as he, well, as he _nuzzled_ him.

“Mmm.” Erwin hummed, lifting his head to mouth at the column of Levi’s throat next. “I could get used to this.”

That made Levi crack an eye open, a warmth settling in his belly at Erwin’s words. What did he mean? Was he talking about sharing his bed with Levi?

“Used to what?” He asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

“Waking up with you beside me.” Was Erwin’s reply, the sound of which made both of Levi’s eyes open fully for the first time that morning.

“Smooth bastard.” He muttered, mostly because Erwin’s gentle words and touches had gotten him to wake up fully, remaining still while he continued to kiss at his neck and sat up onto an elbow so he could lean over him.

He was smiling, Levi could tell from the upward curve of his lips on his skin, and it made his heart flutter. By the time Erwin reached his jaw, whatever lingering desire he still had left to go back to sleep was replaced by a desire for something else, something that Erwin seemed to want too if the hard jut of his cock pressing into Levi’s backside was anything to go by.

Levi twisted his head around to meet Erwin’s mouth with his own for a kiss then, suddenly feeling more than hot from how Erwin’s hands were roving all over him, and then rolled over completely to face him when the feel of his arm over his middle wasn’t enough. He wanted to be as close to him as possible all of a sudden, and like this, he could throw a leg over Erwin’s hips and press their chests together too.

He wrapped his arms around Erwin’s neck, deepening their kiss even as Erwin’s tongue swept through his mouth, and didn’t even mind that his saliva was thick from sleep and neither one of them had brushed their teeth yet.

Erwin certainly didn't mind either, because as soon as Levi twisted around his hands were cupping his ass, rubbing the bare skin and pushing the shirt Levi wore up over his hips.

"Can I have you again?" Erwin murmured when he broke their kiss only so he could press his lips to Levi's neck, marking a trail down to where his pulse beat beneath his skin.

He asked as if Levi hadn't tilted his head back to give him more access or pressed his palm into Erwin's hair to push him closer. He asked as if Levi wasn't seconds away from arching against him to grind his growing erection on Erwin's stomach either, enjoying the way everything felt so much that he almost didn't hear Erwin say it. He caught his last few words and figured it out though, and found them more than a little amusing considering how pliant and receptive to Erwin’s touches he was being.

"Do you really think you have to ask?" Levi breathed, catching Erwin's lips between his own again, nibbling on the bottom one after he spoke.

He was practically writhing against him, pressing as much of his bare skin against Erwin's as he could, his pulse beating quickly now and his breath already coming shorter from his growing excitement. Erwin's hands weren't helping, because they'd continued to grope at his ass, squeezing and kneading it like Levi had learned Erwin liked to do, one occasionally trailing up over his side or behind him to rub at his back.

"I'm just checking. I don't want to wear you out." Erwin spoke the words with a smile on his face that let Levi know he was teasing, but it still made him feel a bit emboldened that Erwin apparently couldn't keep his hands off of him.

"As if you fucking could." He replied, shifting on a whim and pushing Erwin onto his back as if to prove his point.

He climbed over him and straddled his thighs, immediately reaching for his cock while Erwin planted his hands on his hips. If he'd meant that he'd wanted Levi on his back by asking if he could have him, he didn't show any sign that he minded the change in position. In fact, it almost seemed the opposite, because the look he was giving Levi now was more than heated, his eyes visibly roving over where his large shirt hung off Levi's shoulder and the parts below his waist that it left uncovered.

It made Levi flush but only feel more excited, and when Erwin slid his hands around to grope his ass again, slipping a probing finger between his cheeks, his hips practically jerked forward on their own accord. It wasn't in an effort to move away, but rather to shift towards Erwin's cock, because it was inches away from his own and Levi had the sudden urge to take both of them in his hands.

He did so, pressing them together between his palms and biting his lip at the searing heat of Erwin's length brushing up against his. It was leaking so much that it made Levi wonder how long he'd been lying there hard while he'd been sleeping, but it didn't take long for Levi to catch up - not with Erwin continuing to play with his ass, anyway. He teased his entrance with his fingers and soon Levi was positively dripping, enough pre-come beading from the tip of his cock while he stroked them both to coat his hand and to make each slide of them together slick and messy.

He hadn't intended to get carried away doing this but he had, almost mesmerized by the sight of Erwin's thick length next to his own. Moaning lightly, he twisted his hand, a movement that drew a gasp from Erwin's lips as well - not that Levi even noticed, because he was suddenly too busy watching how Erwin's foreskin stretched when he slid his hand up and down, the soft, thin membrane swallowing up the entire head of his cock if Levi stroked high enough. He couldn't help but take it between his fingers then, pinching it up over the tip it covered and tugging lightly on a whim.

Surprisingly - or unsurprisingly, he wasn't sure which - Erwin made a half gasping half groaning sound, and squeezed his ass.

"Having fun?" He asked in a breathy voice, enough color high on his cheekbones to indicate that if Levi wasn't, he certainly was.

Levi didn't answer right away, just licked his lips and paused because he'd had a sudden thought. He'd seen something in a porn video once, something that could only be done when your partner was uncut. It was intriguing, and, well, he liked playing with Erwin's foreskin enough to try it.

"Sit up." Levi said, licking the come off his palm coyly while Erwin raised an eyebrow.

He did as he said though, sitting up and adjusting with Levi until he was in his lap, far enough away so that he could reach between them and angle the tip of his cock against Erwin's. He rested his head against Erwin's shoulder while he did so, noting that Erwin was watching what he was doing too without protest. He was even holding Levi's hip to keep him steady, letting out a pleased sigh when Levi tugged and pulled his foreskin over his cock, stretching it until he could slip it all the way over the head of Levi's own length.

Swallowing at the sight, Levi rolled his hips once gently, watching how his dick slid against Erwin's like it had before. Only now, the difference was a quarter of himself was inside Erwin's foreskin, and the sight of it moving underneath the stretched part made his eyes widen.

"Does it hurt?" He asked suddenly, stroking himself once as slowly as he could.

"No." Erwin said with a chuckle as if the question was ludicrous, his lips now busy marking up the skin of Levi's chest and neck. "It feels good."

 _"Shit."_ Levi breathed, his voice suddenly shaky and high-pitched as a wave of pleasure overtook him, more than certainly influenced by what they were doing.

It didn’t really look pretty, but it was different, something new and exciting that Levi had never done before. It felt good too, of course, but it seemed overtly erotic somehow, enough so that he couldn’t take his eyes off the sight of what was happening between their legs.

“Where did you get this idea?” Erwin said, his arms around Levi again and his mouth at his jaw.

Levi had to take a breath before he could answer, barely managing to hold back a whine while he continued to jerk off like this and trying to control the tremble in his voice. “Porn.”

“That doesn’t surprise me in the least.” Erwin answered, bucking his own hips once towards Levi’s hand.

His lips were at Levi’s ear by now and he tugged on the lobe with his teeth, finally drawing a low moan from him while he kept moving. It was the first of many after that, because suddenly Erwin had slipped two fingers in his mouth and then around to slide them inside his ass, the press of them going in easy because he was still a little loose from the night before.

It made him gasp and arch, his eyes on where his dick was rubbing up against Erwin’s underneath his foreskin, watching how it stretched around them both while he stroked himself and roughly thrusted inside it. It was more challenging than normal to keep it up with how he had to use both his hands, but even so, it didn’t take long before he was trembling and panting and tense in Erwin’s lap.

The feel of the tip of Erwin’s dick sliding against his own was the tipping point, and when Levi came moments later he moaned and stilled, making sure to keep a firm grip on their cocks while he spurted inside the extra skin of Erwin’s. That was the whole point, he thought, and he couldn’t even wait until he’d stopped shaking to shift so that Erwin’s fingers were out of his ass, falling back out of his lap and against the bed so he could get a good look at the mess he’d made.

He wasn’t disappointed; Erwin’s cock looked positively filthy. Come had spilled out of his foreskin when Levi had pulled back, a line of it connecting the tip of Levi’s length to Erwin’s. He followed it with his eyes across the few inches of newly soiled bedding between them to where more and more of the sticky white fluid was leaking out, causing Levi to lick his lips lazily while he stared and fought to catch his breath. Erwin was still hard, of course, but when he reached forward to palm at his dick, there was enough of it glistening and smeared all over the head to make it look like he’d finished too.

He hadn’t, though; the come all over him was not Erwin’s but Levi’s, a satisfying sort of feeling washing over him at the sight. Briefly, he wondered if this was what Erwin felt like when he watched his own release oozing out of Levi’s ass, and then found himself wondering if Erwin was thinking the same thing, because seconds later he was moving to push Levi onto his back and grabbing his legs, spreading them apart so that he could position the tip of his cock right at his entrance.

He pushed with just enough pressure to make Levi suck in a breath - not yet entering him but obviously making his intentions clear. It was teasing and his ass suddenly felt wet from his own come, and Levi squirmed, his own release doing nothing to quell his newly burgeoning desire for this too. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to feel Erwin inside him again, and pressed his feet into the bed so he could lift his hips into the air, watching as Erwin got the hint and reached down to spread the mess of come over his length like lube.

Then, a second later, he was pushing into him, his hips rocking forward in a single thrust so that he could sink down slowly. It made Levi gasp, his breath hitching sharply as he felt it, the sudden burning and stretching sensation making him groan and dig his fingers into the bed. He was open enough for Erwin to fit himself inside smoothly, but it was still tighter than if he had just spent the morning fingering him open. With the way that Erwin was digging his fingers into Levi’s waist he felt it too, his eyes squeezed shut and his brows drawn sharply as if he was fighting to concentrate on not going too fast, but Levi didn’t see why he couldn’t. It wasn’t too much, he could tell, and by the time Erwin had bottomed out he just felt too full and split to notice anything else anyway.

“Come on.” He said, lifting his hips again after Erwin thrusted just once, slowly. “Harder. Come on, Erwin.”

That was all the egging on Erwin needed, because his hips snapped forward almost as soon as Levi said his name, setting up a pace after that was nothing short of hard and fast. He went in deep with every thrust, causing Levi’s jaw to go slack and his eyes to go lidded, somehow managing to keep them open so he could take in Erwin above him. He was more worked up than he’d let on, apparently, because now it was like he’d suddenly let loose after allowing Levi to have all the fun before, holding Levi still by the waist and pounding into him as steadily as he could. He was thrusting so hard that Levi could swear the bed was moving, but it all just felt too good and satisfying for him to care.

It was still no surprise that Erwin didn’t last long like this, though, as he’d already been breathing heavily from exertion when he’d started, and was now letting out sounds from between his parted lips that were growing louder and louder by the second. His movements soon grew jerky and less controlled too, and after striking the spot inside Levi that made him arch and clench tightly around Erwin’s cock on reflex, he suddenly stopped, grunting roughly as his fingers dug sharply into Levi’s waist.

A second later and he shuddered, and Levi felt hot, wet warmth fill his ass while Erwin groaned deeply, a dazed expression appearing on his face for a moment before he suddenly fell forward almost desperately to kiss him. It was sloppy and messy, but Levi wrapped an arm around his neck all the same, swallowing Erwin’s pants until his lips grew tired and he slipped off of him and onto his side. Then it was over, and the both of them just focused on breathing for a second, lying there on the bed until the next thing Levi knew Erwin was laughing, a breathy series of chuckles that made him twist his face in confusion and sit up.

“Erwin, what the-” He started, wondering what could possibly be so funny about what they’d just done.

“It’s nothing.” Erwin said immediately, reaching for him. “You’re just something else, that’s all.”

“Something else?” Levi muttered, still not getting his meaning.

Erwin pulled him close and buried his face into the crook of his neck, a smile still evident in his voice when he spoke again. “Something amazing.”

He said it almost like a contented sigh, and it made Levi’s eyes go wide and his stomach flip, freezing beside him while the statement sunk in. He was pretty sure he’d never been called amazing before, and if he had been, it had only been by his mother. This was different and meaningful, said by someone who he was in what seemed to be a growing relationship with rather than being born into it.

Swallowing, he let it digest, his cheeks burning as he wondered if he should say something back. He certainly thought Erwin was amazing too, and it was only fair that he respond in kind when Erwin was opening up to him, right? It took him a minute to work up the courage though because the thought of uttering such a thing made his stomach flip nervously, but eventually he did, opening his mouth only to immediately shut it closed again because beside him, Erwin had started snoring.

What the fuck? Had he fallen asleep again?

It seemed he had, and Levi found himself making a face because _really?_ They’d just had a moment and he’d been about to continue it after struggling past his stupid embarrassment, and how could Erwin just pass out like that? But then again, he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. Erwin had done more work than him and had just come, whereas Levi had already worked past his post-orgasm sleepiness. He wasn’t tired anymore, and whatever, it wasn’t like it mattered. If he wanted to tell Erwin he could always do it later, but right now, if Erwin was going to sleep then Levi was going to investigate his kitchen for breakfast.

After making a pit stop to the bathroom to clean his ass off, he put on a pair of boxers and headed for Erwin’s pantry. There wasn’t much that was ready to be eaten besides a few random boxes of cereal, but what there _was_ were a bunch of items still leftover from Erwin’s overly ambitious grocery store trip the week before. Spying a bag of flour by the cereal, he then looked in the fridge, and upon spotting a few more basic items along with a basket of ripe strawberries, the first thing that came to his mind was crepes.

They weren’t terribly easy to cook but the batter was at least simple, and Levi had it whipped up and resting within ten minutes. Then he cut up the strawberries for his topping, and even found some canned whipped cream behind a container of take-out in Erwin’s fridge. It was opened, and Levi would have bet money that Erwin had been eating out of it, suddenly finding himself having to fight back a smile picturing him tilting his head back and spraying it into his mouth.

 _Idiot._ He thought to himself, even as lighthearted warmth bubbled up in his chest and he rooted around for more things to add to their breakfast. There was bacon, and just enough milk left to add to coffee. Erwin liked coffee, right? He was a lawyer, didn’t they _all_ like coffee?

He got his answer when he started brewing the grounds he’d found in a cabinet, and the smell seemed to draw Erwin out of his bedroom like a magnet. He came shuffling in with only a pair of underwear on, and looked ridiculous with his hair sticking up and the sleepy, rumpled look still on his face.

And by ridiculous, of course, Levi meant cute.

He pretended not to notice him though once he glimpsed Erwin from the corner of his eye, and fully faced the stove where he was adding bacon to a large pan. He only moved when Erwin came up behind him and wrapped arms around his middle - the gesture becoming extremely familiar by now - and kissed the back of his neck.

“Watch it.” Levi said teasingly, fighting back a shiver when the scruff from Erwin’s unshaved face tickled his skin. He still smelled distinctly like what they’d been doing not that long ago, and he was warm enough so that he couldn’t resist leaning back into him even as he chastised him. “Do you want me to burn your apartment down?”

“Don’t worry. If you do, I’ll carry you out.” Erwin murmured the words against his neck where he was kissing him, smiling because surely, he knew how Levi was going to take that.

“Says who? Maybe I’ll be the one carrying you out. And then I’ll come back for all the shit in your kitchen.”

“My kitchen?” Erwin repeated, voice laced with amusement. “You’re welcome to use anything in here anytime you want, you know. I don’t mind at all.”

“I’m sure you don’t.” Levi muttered.

Of course Erwin didn’t care - he got food out of it. But really, Levi couldn’t be annoyed in the least because it was a compliment, because Erwin liked his cooking and liked him enough to want to have him around to feed him. That made him wonder about his words though, because was he implying that Levi could come over and cook anytime he wanted? Wasn’t that a _couples_ thing that only _couples_ did?

He was pretty sure it was, and he was also pretty sure that he and Erwin weren’t a couple yet - at least not in any official sense. Not that he was bitter over it or anything because after all, they'd technically only been on one real date after this had started much differently than how most people met their partners, but when Erwin implied things about a future where they were together, it made him unsure of what to think.

Brushing it off for now though, he just sighed, because he had crepes to cook.

"How many crepes do you want?" He asked, preparing his pan to make them.

"Crepes?" Erwin said, looking over his shoulder. "That's what you're making?"

"Yeah. Problems?"

"No, I'm just impressed, that's all. I thought those were difficult to make."

Shrugging, Levi threw a dish towel over his shoulder, squirming from Erwin's grip to pull the batter from the fridge. "I learned when I was 15."

"From your mother?"

At that, Levi stopped, because the mention of his mother made him realize in a sudden flash of panic and guilt that he'd forgotten to ask how her doctor's appointment had gone. He'd meant to when they'd gotten back to Erwin's apartment, to text Hange or his uncle or anyone to find out. It was the least he could do since he couldn’t go, he'd thought, but it had completely slipped his mind. _Fuck._

The brief moment of alarm Levi experienced at the realization was quick, but it took him even less time to realize that he’d been so caught off guard it was showing on his face. Luckily he was facing the fridge and his back was still to Erwin, but he’d frozen long enough for it to surely be noticeable. Swallowing, he steeled himself and tried to go back to looking unflustered anyway before he turned back around, keeping his eyes away from Erwin in case he caught sight of the tension behind them.

“Yeah.” He answered his question quietly, resuming his trek back to the stove from the fridge as if nothing had happened. “She taught me. So how many did you want again?”

There was a thick silence for a second after Levi changed the subject where he could tell Erwin was assessing the sudden mood shift in the room and trying to decide whether to ask, but luckily, he didn’t. Instead, he walked up behind Levi again and kissed his cheek, gently this time, soothingly as if he was trying to comfort him despite not even knowing what he had gotten him so anxious about in the first place.

“Three, please. Thank you.” He said softly, slipping an arm around Levi and kissing the corner of his mouth, hovering there until Levi relented and twisted his head around to press their lips together.

Then Erwin pulled away and reached for the can of whipped cream, popping the lid off as he turned his back to Levi. Before he could even believe what he was seeing Erwin had raised it to his lips, tilting his head back and spraying a good chunk of it inside his mouth before setting it down on the opposite counter. Another second later and he was exiting the kitchen, leaving Levi staring at where he’d disappeared with a scrunched up look on his face. Obviously, he’d been right about Erwin eating the whipped cream straight from the can.

Why the fuck did Levi find it so endearing though?

Technically he knew why, he just found it ridiculous. That didn’t help the stupid warmth that filled his heart though, an uplifting feeling that truthfully, he was grateful for because it had already taken his mind off the situation with his mother. There was nothing he could do about that now anyway, he thought as he poured the batter for his first crepe into his pan, and he would just have to make sure to text someone after they’d had breakfast.

He didn’t think about it much anymore while he was cooking because he had to focus, and before he knew it he had 6 perfect crepes, 3 on each plate rolled up and stuffed with whipped cream and strawberries. He added extra on top and divided the bacon out evenly, and brought it all out on a tray he found to Erwin in the living room along with his cup of coffee and Levi’s own glass of orange juice.

Erwin was seated on the floor at his coffee table looking at some papers, and when Levi set the food down in front of him he swore his eyes actually got bigger.

“Wow.” He said, taking up the knife and fork he’d been given immediately. “This looks delicious, Levi. I feel like I’m at a restaurant.”

Levi scoffed and rolled his eyes, but on the inside the compliment made his heart sing. His cheeks warmed a little, of course, but Erwin was too busy digging into his breakfast to notice. When Levi sat down next to him he let his hand rest on Erwin’s thigh almost automatically, and reached forward to take a sip of his orange juice before he started eating.

“No coffee for you?” Erwin asked, eyeing his own cup of the stuff before he took a big swallow.

“I’d rather have tea.” Levi answered. “Coffee tastes like shit water.”

That made Erwin exhale in amusement, a slight smile on his face as he continued eating. He said nothing in response though, and before Levi knew it he had finished his entire plate before he’d even eaten one whole crepe.

“That was the best breakfast I’ve had in a long time.” Erwin said after he’d wiped his mouth, leaning back against the couch behind them and placing a hand on his stomach.

He looked satisfied, Levi thought, amusingly so, and stayed that way for a moment until he sighed and threw an arm over Levi’s shoulders.

“I feel like I should be making it for you, though.” He murmured, his eyes studying Levi as he slowly ate his own breakfast.

“Yeah, well, your idea of breakfast is probably take-out, so I’ll pass.”

“That’s not fair.” Erwin said, chuckling, leaning over to kiss at Levi’s cheek. His breath smelled like strawberries, and it was all Levi could do not to turn and capture his lips. “I know how to cook toast.”

“Toast? That’s it?”

“And eggs. And bacon. I’m not completely inept, you know. I managed to pass law school somehow. Why don’t I show you? Next time, breakfast will be on me.”

 _Next time?_ Levi thought, chewing slowly and turning to glance at Erwin. He was still smiling and hovering near his face, and when Levi looked at him he kissed him once. At this point, it wasn’t as if Levi hadn’t thought there would be a next time. Things had been going well in general, and had gone so good on their date that he was slowly starting to overcome the self-consciousness he had about Erwin wanting to see him. It was obvious he did, but it was still nice to hear him say things like that considering they weren’t technically a couple yet.

“When?” He asked after a moment, leaning against Erwin as he ate.

“Hmm, let me think.” Erwin started. His tone sounded a bit playful, and Levi raised an eyebrow while he paused, nibbling on a strawberry slowly. “What about tonight? I mean, tomorrow morning after you sleep over again.”

“I have to work.” Levi said, because although that sounded wonderful, he had to return to reality sooner than he wanted and he wasn’t sure if there was a bus that ran to Erwin’s apartment from his work that late.

Erwin was not dissuaded though, pressing on boldly as he always did. “I know. I can pick you up after work, if you’d like. Of course, if you don’t want to come over that’s fine too.”

“I want to.” Levi mumbled immediately, because if Erwin was offering to give him a ride it only took him a split second to see no other reason why he couldn’t.

He wouldn’t be able to visit his mother that night anyway due to the late time he got off work, so he didn’t have to worry about feeling guilty for it. The next day though, he would have to, so he already knew he wouldn’t be able to stay long on Sunday if Erwin asked.

“Alright.” Erwin said, kissing him again for what must have been the 20th time that morning on his cheek. “Wonderful.”

That was that, apparently, because afterward Erwin went back to reading his papers while Levi finished eating. When he was done Erwin cleaned up their plates and did the dishes in the kitchen while Levi went to shower. He had to start getting ready for work, and unsurprisingly Erwin offered to drive him there. On the way he texted Hange about his mother while Erwin held his hand between their seats, but jerked his fingers away suddenly when his phone rang.

 _Shit._ He thought, because it was Hange, and this wasn’t a call that he really wanted to take with Erwin in the car.

He’d rather text so Erwin wouldn’t ask him any questions if he thought something was amiss, but he didn’t want to ignore Hange either, not when he’d already bailed on his mother’s appointment.

“Hello?” He answered cautiously, hoping he could keep the conversation short.

“Hi, Levi!” Hange’s upbeat voice filled his ear immediately, and Levi glanced to the side to see if Erwin was paying attention.

He wasn’t, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t listening.

“How is she?” He asked quietly anyway, because there was no other way to go about it.

“Kuchel is doing fine today. Your uncle is here visiting again and her appointment went well.”

“Did the doctor figure out why she was...what was wrong?” Levi asked immediately, attempting to reference her recent bout of panic attacks as vaguely as possible and hoping Hange would get it.

"Her panic attacks?" Hange asked, pausing when Levi mumbled a yes. "No, unfortunately it seems like it's just something we're going to have to deal with from now on. He said she's getting to the point where it could be anything because of her worsening confusion, and that the only way to minimize her anxiety is with medication."

"Oh." Levi said, looking out the window so Erwin wouldn't see his defeated scowl.

How could Hange say Kuchel's appointment went well and then tell him something like that? The fact that his mother was scared, tense, and anxious more often than not already had him concerned about her all the time, but up until this point it hadn't been this bad and had been manageable as long as they were able to figure out what was causing it. Now, though, she’d deteriorated so much that she was getting confused more and more about the simplest of things, and even though it was inevitable and he’d known this was coming, as always that didn’t make it any easier to deal with.

"But luckily, there are medications that can still help her! He upped her anti-depressant and prescribed her new anxiety medicine, and stronger sleeping pills too so that she can get better rest. And, well, there’s another thing I’ve noticed that cheers her up a lot Levi, but-”

“What is it?” He asked, picking up on Hange’s slightly hesitant tone, interrupting them because he had a feeling of what they were about to say.

“Your Uncle Kenny. I know you said he was a jerk but he makes her laugh. And she’s always in a much better mood when he’s around. They’re like two peas in a pod!”

At that, Levi’s scowl grew deeper and he bit back a sigh. _That_ certainly didn’t help his darkening mood in the least, but he wasn’t surprised. His mother had always had a soft spot for her brother, and apparently that wasn’t going to change any time soon. It wasn’t that he wanted to deprive her of that relationship even though the fact that his shitty uncle could cheer her up so much and Levi couldn’t did kind of make him feel bad, but he just still wasn’t entirely sure he trusted Kenny. So far he hadn’t done anything to piss Levi off or that showed he was going to hurt her emotionally again, but the fact was that after so long of Kuchel depending on him and of Kenny letting her down, Levi had become even more protective of her than he had been before.

Maybe too protective, he thought, chewing on his lip. Maybe he was overprotective, because after all, wasn’t Kuchel still being able to have moments of happiness the most important thing?

It was, he knew immediately, and this time couldn’t hold back his sigh.

“Whatever.” He muttered. “Just remember what I said about him.”

“Of course! I’m still keeping an eye on him, but so far he’s been on his best behavior. Should I tell your mother you’ll see her Wednesday?”

“No. I’m coming over tomorrow after work.”

“Oh, great. She’ll be so excited. She was asking Kenny about you, about how you’re doing and...uh-”

“What?” Levi blurted, narrowing his eyes.

Hange had stopped abruptly as if they were about to say something they hadn’t meant to, and Levi wasn’t going to let it slide if it was about him. Besides, it had to do with his mother too, and Hange couldn’t keep shit from him when he was her legal caretaker.

“Well, before I tell you, let me explain that this is a perfectly natural response for someone in her situation to have, especially a mother. She told Kenny she was worried she’s a burden on you. Because of your school and because you stopped cooking. She wants you to be able to act your age. I think that may be the reason she contacted your uncle, so you could have some help.”

“I have to go.” Levi blurted immediately, because in response to that news he suddenly felt a pain in his chest that was so strong it felt like he was getting stabbed.

 _Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck._ He thought, hanging up the phone before Hange could respond. He felt like shit, guilt and sadness and dejection cresting through him like a wave. It hit him so hard that tears pricked at the backs of his eyes, but luckily he managed to get a hold of himself before they grew noticeable. Blinking them away, he stared out the window with wide eyes, his heart aching that his mother considered herself to be a burden on him.

That wasn’t the case, and it would never be the case, no matter how bad she got. She’d raised him on her own and he owed nearly everything to her, why the fuck would taking care of her even be a question? All in all she was his mother and she was terminally ill, and although if he was being honest he wasn’t surprised that she’d said that, it still made him feel terrible that she felt that way.

Terrible enough that he couldn’t hold back his grimace, which of course, Erwin picked up on.

“Everything alright?” He asked quietly, glancing over at him from the driver’s side of his car.

Before Levi could answer he’d grabbed his hand again and brought it to his lips, kissing his fingers in what seemed to be a reassuring way.

“Yeah.” Levi said after taking a deep breath, trying to steel himself.

Suddenly, in that moment, he wanted nothing more than to tell Erwin about what was going on with his mother. He seemed to want to know, but the only thing holding Levi back from it was the fact that he didn’t know what this was, what they were doing together and if it was even going to amount to anything. He knew what he wanted and he was impatient, but he also understood that it really hadn’t even been that long since they’d met. Basically, he had no idea what he was doing and at this point, was still fine with Erwin taking the lead, but he feared confiding in him about his mother and beginning to rely on him because there was always the chance that he would disappear. He wasn’t ready to take that chance without knowing, so, instead of confessing everything like he wanted, he just nodded again, squeezing Erwin’s hand once before speaking.

“My mom got sick.” He just said, trying to be as vague as possible to avoid questions. “And my uncle is here right now, and he’s a bastard.”

“I see.” Erwin said as they pulled into the parking lot of Levi’s restaurant. He kissed his fingers again before releasing him and glancing over at his face, his eyes studying him intently as if he was trying to discern whether Levi was telling him everything or not. “Do you need any help?”

At that, Levi’s mouth fell open and he nearly blurted out everything he was holding back, but he caught himself and closed it again. Even though he wasn’t going to accept Erwin’s offer, the fact that he’d asked made Levi feel a little bit better.

“No.” He said, leaning over and looking up at him, licking his lips in a silent plea for a kiss. It was also an attempt to change the subject, and with the way Erwin’s eyes lowered to his mouth, it was obviously going to work. “Not right now. But you can help me later by fucking me into the mattress. How does that sound, daddy?”

“You’re insatiable.” Erwin murmured, pretending to chide him but closing the distance between them anyway.

Their kiss was brief but not chaste in the least, because Levi had grabbed Erwin’s face from the moment their mouths met, sweeping his tongue between his lips and nibbling on the bottom one with his teeth, kissing him hungrily as if to show him exactly how much he wanted him later. It definitely worked, because when he pulled away abruptly Erwin was still leaning over him with his eyes closed for a split second, a look on his face that suggested he was not ready for their embrace to end.

“I’m 24.” Levi murmured to him, his hands still holding Erwin’s cheeks as he responded to his earlier comment. “I can’t help that shit, but you can’t talk either. You’re horny an awful lot for an old man.”

Erwin’s pout was almost comical, as usual. “Levi-”

Before he could even start, Levi kissed him again - this time with just a quick peck. “I gotta go to work. If you don’t think you’re an old man, prove it to me later. Got it?”

“I think I can handle that. Its easier to make you beg than you think.”

At that, Levi scowled, his ears burning in embarrassment because he knew it was true. He was sensitive and Erwin liked to tease him, and how the fuck was he supposed to help it, anyway? Either way he’d never admit it though, so instead he just kissed Erwin one last time and shoved him back into his seat.

“I’ll see you later, bastard.” He muttered, climbing out of the car before Erwin could get a glimpse of his reddening cheeks.

“Have a good night at work!” Erwin said after him, smiling at him through the window after Levi shut the door.

He waved and then drove off as Levi turned around, his mood settling into a strange mix of happiness and despondency. Erwin made him happy as always, incredibly so, but what Hange had told him about his mother was still bothering him. It did for the rest of the day too, and he found himself wondering whether he should bring it up with her when he visited the next day.

Levi did not want to make her upset, but the last thing he wanted her to think was that she was a burden on him. Sure, he hated his major and wished he could cook and that he didn’t have to work 40 hours a week at a shitty restaurant job, not to mention the stress of barely making ends meet and paying bills, but he was doing it for Kuchel.

Besides, it wasn’t like he wouldn’t do all of that and much more anyway if it meant that he could have her back to normal.

That wasn’t going to happen though, which in the end was why he was willing to make whatever sacrifices he needed right now to care for her. One day she would be gone, and even though he didn’t like to think about that at all or consider it this way, after that he would be able to do whatever he wanted.

Briefly, he wondered if that future would include Erwin, but then told himself that they’d only known each other a month and it was stupid to daydream about shit like that.

Beyond that, Levi didn’t have much other time to think about things, because it was a Saturday night and his shift was incredibly busy. It was stressful but it also went by fast, and before he knew it he was clocking out and once again climbing into Erwin’s waiting car in the parking lot.

“Hello.” Erwin said, giving him a smile before leaning over to kiss his cheek. “How was work?”

“Not bad. What’s this?”

Levi was referring to the large paper bag in the floorboard of the passenger’s seat in front of him, mostly because right then it was in the way. It was so big he had nowhere to put his feet, and he placed them on either side of the bag awkwardly while eyeing it.

“Its for you. Open it.” Erwin told him though, which made Levi raise an eyebrow.

His heart skipped a beat too, because what was this, a gift? Was Erwin buying him fucking presents already?

Biting his lip and leaning over, Levi reached down to open the bag. Inside, he immediately glimpsed several containers of tea leaves - at least twelve different kinds - a mesh strainer, and a shiny, brand new teapot.

“What the fuck?” He blurted automatically, his eyes going wide at the sight because all together, this shit couldn’t have been cheap.

The teapot alone was black cast iron and looked expensive, and he knew that tea leaves added up quickly - especially when you bought speciality kinds which about half of the containers appeared to carry. There was earl grey, chamomile, peppermint, and a few other basic kinds, but then there were a few blends in fancy packaging that even Levi hadn’t heard of. What was this for?

“You said you liked tea earlier, and since I didn’t have any at the apartment I decided to get some.” Erwin explained, his eyes on Levi like a hawk. “You didn’t say what kind you liked though, so I just guessed. I hope there’s at least something in there that you’ll drink. If not, we can-”

Levi was almost too stunned to respond, much less hear what Erwin continued to say. He was kind of babbling which was strange - was he nervous? - but Levi was having a hard time contemplating anything other than the fact that Erwin had bought him a gift. Not just one gift, but technically several, in fact, and based on an offhand comment that he’d made earlier that morning.

It was thoughtful, sincere, and touching, and the way he had presented it to him was, well, it was fucking cute, and it quickly had Levi flushing on both the inside and out while he thought about it.

“Levi? Is it alright?” Erwin said suddenly, interrupting his reverie. He’d spoken quietly and then cleared his throat, and that was when Levi realized he was waiting for an answer.

“Yeah.” He murmured, swallowing to coat his dry throat before looking away from the bag and up at Erwin. The next time he spoke, it was louder and more confident. “Yeah. It’s good. It’s a lot better than flowers.”

That made Erwin laugh, the sound muffled by Levi’s lips as he practically threw himself over the car console to kiss him. He was blushing furiously and not to mention flustered, and this was the only way he could think of to actually show Erwin how thankful he was for it. It wasn’t as if Erwin minded though, because it was obvious from the way that he continued to smile into their kiss that Levi’s response pleased him, and after a minute, he wrapped an arm around him.

“I’m glad you like it.” He said once they parted. “I wasn’t sure how you would react.”

That almost made Levi smirk despite himself, because it confirmed what he’d thought: Erwin _had_ been nervous. It was amusing to consider, but also seemed ludicrous when he thought about how this apparently made Erwin doubt himself while propositioning a stranger off of the internet did not.

“I can’t believe I met you on Craigslist.” Levi blurted at the thought, because honestly, it hadn’t crossed his mind in a while.

It hadn’t been that long ago, really, but by now it seemed ridiculous, almost unbelievable that what had been a one night stand had turned into this. He still wasn’t sure what ‘this’ was, but it was certainly a lot more than he had ever thought it would be when he’d realized he had a big, shitty crush on Erwin after their first meeting.

“Yes.” Erwin agreed, chuckling. He was driving now, but had taken Levi’s hand between their seats as he’d done earlier that day. “I suppose it is hard to believe. Although, I have to admit, I think I was smitten with you from the moment I saw your picture.”

“You’re full of shit.” Levi muttered, biting his lip coyly despite his words. “Are you sure you just didn’t want to fuck a twink?”

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted, to be honest. Or rather, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I don’t actually do that kind of thing very often.”

“Really?” Levi said, his thin brows raised up high.

He hadn’t been able to keep the note of surprise from his voice, because Erwin had seemed so self-assured and relaxed the entire time that Levi had assumed he’d had plenty of experience doing shit like that. Not to mention the fact that he’d given him one of the best poundings he’d ever had in his entire life, which didn’t suggest to him that he’d been nervous at all.

“Yes, really.” Erwin replied, smiling and glancing at Levi. “Does that surprise you?”

“No. I mean, it’s just….you know how to fuck, so-”

“Is that so? I think that may be the first compliment you’ve given me, Levi.”

“I’m just saying you stuck your face in my ass like it’s something you do all the time.”

“Maybe I just like making you feel good.”

At that, Levi went quiet again, because the words made heat flare up in not only his groin, but also his chest. There was promise behind them and in Erwin’s voice, but Levi could also tell that he was sincere too, and although it was sweet it made him worry at his lip.

“What about you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s not just about me.” Levi mumbled, staring down at his lap. He was a bit embarrassed and unsure of how to say what he was thinking, which was how he wanted Erwin to feel good too. He obviously enjoyed himself when they were fucking, but, well, with no other way for Levi to put it, he had come nearly twice as many times as Erwin had since this had begun. He'd given Levi far more pleasure than he'd received, and it made Levi feel a little flustered at how kind Erwin was. It also made him want to return the favor though, for more than one reason. Didn't Erwin deserve to be treated too? "What if I wanna do the same thing to you?"

"You do, Levi." Erwin said immediately, his thumb caressing the skin of Levi's hand. "I like what we do together. Very much."

Levi frowned, nearly huffing because Erwin either wasn't getting it, or didn't want him to feel pressured to do anything, and it frustrated him when he couldn't get his point across.

"I know that. But it's not the same. You don't just lie there and let me suck your dick or whatever. I basically had to talk you into that shit the last time I did it."

"To be fair, that was because you climbed on top of me and pulled my pants down almost as soon as you walked in the door." Erwin said, a smile in his voice at the memory. "But I understand what you're saying. That doesn't matter to me though. It feels just as good when I know you're enjoying yourself as anything else does."

Levi just scoffed in response, because although Erwin’s words were sweet, he still wasn’t getting it through his thick skull that Levi was saying all this because he wanted to do it, not because he felt guilty or some sense of obligation. Whatever, though. He didn’t want to push anymore because he was still unsure how Erwin would react to such things, and decided to give it up - for now at least.

That didn’t stop him from making himself and Erwin a cup of tea though when they got back to his apartment, brewing the orange infused black tea because Erwin commented that it smelled good while he and Levi inspected the different flavors together.

It wasn’t bad, Levi thought once he’d tasted it, for a fruity tea. His mother would like it but he, on the other hand, preferred his more plain and less sweet. Erwin was the opposite apparently, because although he’d drank his coffee black that morning he put enough sugar and milk into the tea to make Levi's teeth hurt just by looking at it.

Erwin seemed to enjoy it though, and once they finished drinking, Levi curled up next to him on the couch as they watched part of a movie on television. He was almost hyper-aware of how close Erwin was and of the heat of his body, and of every single move he made, but this time he found himself waiting for Erwin to instigate. It didn't take much longer than if he had, because the close proximity was apparently affecting Erwin too. He shifted eventually, wrapping an arm around Levi's shoulder and then began nuzzling his neck, pressing his lips against it when Levi leaned into him. A minute later Levi had twisted towards him and they were kissing, the movements of their mouths starting out light and quickly becoming more eager as they grew more and more lost in each other’s presence.

Or at least, Erwin seemed to be lost, but Levi was a little distracted. He was still thinking about what they'd discussed in the car, and wondering if perhaps they could compromise. Maybe there was a way to treat Erwin that didn't involve him only having all of the fun, which seemed to be his only issue because he was apparently a selfless bastard. Either way, he wasn't going to let Erwin only focus on his pleasure that night anyway, and after deciding, he made his move.

Climbing into Erwin's lap, he straddled his thighs but remained standing on his knees, wrapping his arms loosely around his neck so he could tangle his fingers into his hair. He ran them through it and rubbed at his scalp, and then cupped the back of his head when Erwin tilted it back to kiss him again.

Their height difference was so great that even like this, Levi would have barely been over eye level with him if Erwin hadn’t been slouching down. Luckily he was, and luckily, Levi had enough leverage to kiss him deeply, sweeping his tongue through every warm corner of his mouth and leaning all of his bodyweight against him. Erwin had slid his thick arms around Levi’s waist, of course, but could only hold him there delicately because of their positions while Levi held his face still and gave him one searing, slow, sweet kiss after the other.  

"Let me take care of you, daddy." Levi soon murmured, after Erwin had fallen back against the couch and taken Levi with him. Beneath him Erwin felt pliant and relaxed, the movements of his mouth even becoming lazy as Levi continued to massage his scalp with one hand. "I wanna be a good boy for you."

Erwin hummed against his lips, his hands sliding down to gently cup the curve of Levi’s ass and squeezing when Levi stuck it out for him.  “You are, Levi.”

In the car, Levi would have rolled his eyes. Now, even though he still hoped Erwin wasn’t going to make this difficult, he fought it back and instead pulled away to press his forehead against Erwin’s.

“Maybe I want to be better.” He murmured, gazing into Erwin’s hazy, lust-filled eyes.

“What did you have in mind then?” Erwin answered, his hands and fingers roaming all over Levi’s backside now.

“I dunno.” Was Levi’s reply. He ducked down to kiss at Erwin’s neck, laving at his skin slowly with his tongue to savor the taste, sucking at the top of one collarbone while he continued to speak. “Why don’t you pick? What do you want to do? Spank me? Tie me up? You’re obviously into some kinky shit if you let me call you daddy, _daddy._ I’m sure you can come up with something.”

Even if Levi was basically giving Erwin the go ahead to enact a fantasy on him, he’d issued it like a challenge, and when Erwin went still and tightened his grip on Levi’s ass, he knew he had won. While he was quiet, Levi nipped a mark into his neck and actually began to feel a little smug that he’d succeeded, that he’d gotten Erwin eating out of the palm of his hand for once instead of the other way around. It had been done in a roundabout way, sure, but now Erwin was going to get to do something _he_ wanted to do, something that wouldn’t leave Levi hanging or anything either, because he was quite certain that whatever Erwin came up with he would enjoy.

He was getting excited himself thinking about it, and forced himself to give Erwin a few moments to think while he continued pressing his mouth along every single inch of Erwin’s neck. It wasn’t until he nipped at him with his teeth again that Erwin shifted, and Levi moved enough so he could look him in the eye and still kiss at his jaw at the same time.

“Anything in mind, daddy?”

“Maybe a few things.” Erwin said, his voice breathy and low. “But I want to make sure you’re okay with it first.”

“I’m pretty fucking sure I’ll be okay with it. I mean, as long as you aren’t gonna pour hot wax on my nipples or anything.”

“Is _that_ where you’d draw the line?” Erwin asked, chuckling despite their heated conversation.

Levi got the sense that he was asking because it sounded ludicrous and not because he actually wanted to do that, but Levi still thought for a moment. Would he forbid that? He wasn’t sure. It probably would depend on the situation. Whatever, though, it didn’t matter now, so instead of responding to the question out loud, he just shrugged.

“Why don’t you just tell me and if I don’t like it, I’ll let you know.” Levi prodded, rolling his hips to grind himself a little against Erwin’s lap.

It didn’t cause much friction, but it was enough for his mouth to fall open, a light tremble running through him at how it made his aching cock twitch.

“What if I show you?”

Levi nearly groaned. He was practically vibrating with excitement and anticipation, and although he was trying to stay patient, the fact that Erwin had fallen for his little plan made him a lot less so. “Okay, show me. I wanna see.”

With one last squeeze to his backside Erwin was nudging Levi off his lap, grabbing his hand and leading him to the bedroom in silence. When they reached it he gestured for Levi to sit down on the edge of his bed, and he did so, watching Erwin approach his dresser and dig around in the back of one drawer for a few moments - the same one where he kept his lube and condoms, Levi had learned.

He had to admit, he had no idea what Erwin was going to pull out of there, and dozens of possibilities ran through his mind, from handcuffs to a flogger to anal beads, or maybe even an actual ball gag this time. Instead though, what Erwin pulled out was the last thing Levi had probably expected to see: a large, pink gift bag from a popular women’s lingerie store.

“What’s that?” Levi asked, confusion lacing his tone.

“Panties.” Erwin said, setting the bag down in Levi’s hands. “I bought them for you today when I got the tea on a whim, but then I worried I hadn’t thought it through and you wouldn’t like them. Since you brought all of this up, I figured there wasn’t any sense in not giving it a try.”

“You want me to wear panties?” Levi deadpanned, staring down at the pink tissue paper poking out of the bag incredulously.

He was asking the obvious because honestly, this was a lot tamer than he’d imagined considering the kind of shit they’d done already. Not that he minded, because the thought of Erwin picking this when given free reign to do something kinky was actually kind of charming - especially considering the fact that he hadn’t been confident about giving it to Levi before he’d asked.

“Yes.” Erwin said after clearing his throat, his expression a bit sheepish. “I saw them in the shop window. I thought you’d look good in them.”

At that, Levi bit his lip, feeling a small thrill from the fact that Erwin had been thinking such illicit thoughts about him while shopping. Slowly, he began to pull out the tissue paper one piece at a time, revealing a pair of soft, bright pink, chantilly lace panties. Levi took them out of the bag and held them up, raising an eyebrow as he appraised them because of the color.

“I think they’d fit.” Erwin said, cautious but curious and searching for a response.

Levi looked up at him and then back down at the panties, contemplating, digesting what had just happened. He’d never worn panties before but the thought didn’t bother him, and in fact, the more he thought about it the more he felt it was the opposite. The idea that Erwin wanted to see him in these so badly excited him, and given that he had tossed this invitation out to him himself, Levi saw no reason why he couldn’t oblige his request.

“Alright.” He said after another second, shrugging, standing up, and walking over to Erwin so that he could pull him down for a quick but hungry kiss. “I’ll wear them.”

Taking the panties, he disappeared into the bathroom, stripping off his clothing and folding it all neatly before he pulled them on. Immediately, he thought that Erwin’s estimations about the size had been fairly close to the mark: the pink, lacy garment fit him perfectly in the back, and although they were a little tight in the front, he supposed it was because they weren’t originally made to accommodate a pair of balls and a fully erect cock.

At that, Levi bit his lip, looking down at where his boner was nestled snugly inside the panties. The tip of it was just barely poking out over the top of them while the rest was visible through the lace, and as he gazed at it, Levi felt something spark inside him. He kind of liked how it felt, he found, how tight they were over his dick and how they clung to his ass. The realization made him flush a little, warmth spreading upward from his cheeks to his ears and growing hotter once he looked at himself in the mirror.

He hadn’t been sure about the pink color at first, but he found that it complimented his pale skin nicely, bringing out the flush in his cheeks and on his chest. The soft, delicate lace contrasted with the coarse dark hair on his thighs and lower belly, and when he turned around, Levi raised his eyebrows.

He didn’t consider himself vain about any part of his body, not really, but he had to admit, his ass looked pretty damn good.

The panties hugged it perfectly, accentuating the curve of his cheeks and cutting across them right below where they ended, revealing a portion of the plump, smooth skin in a teasingly coy manner. The rest of his ass was fairly visible through the lace, of course, because it was thin but detailed upon closer inspection, silky soft and not at all rough. Even though the price tag had been removed, Levi could tell they hadn't been cheap, and it made him suddenly feel like he was some kind of high class mistress.

That wasn't the case at all, but there was just something about the thought of Erwin Smith, the over-ten-years-older-than-him lawyer he was fucking, buying expensive panties for him to wear in his fancy apartment where Levi spent all of his time that made him blush. So much for any remaining argument he could use against Erwin being his sugar daddy, anyway.

Whatever, he wasn’t concerned about that right now. At the moment, all he could think about was what Erwin’s reaction would be, and after taking one last look at himself in the mirror, Levi opened the bathroom door from where he’d shut it, sticking his head out to see Erwin seated in the chair next to his bed facing him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, thank you to everyone who continues to read/comment and those that have left kudos! Much <33333
> 
> Edit: the lovely sennfan has since drawn some AMAZINGLY HOT fanart of the panties scene in this chapter. please check it out [here](http://sennfan.tumblr.com/post/140502496880/do-you-like-watching-yourself-erwin-asked-him) (warning you may melt), thank you senn!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Don't you want to see what you look like when I fuck you, Levi?" 
> 
> Erwin's lips ghosted over Levi's ear as he spoke, his eyes seemingly staring daggers at Levi in the mirror. His words made him swear and flush, the curse followed by a low groan and a roll of his hips when Erwin palmed at his cock with a bit more pressure. 
> 
> "Fuck." He said again a second later, as Erwin shifted his fingers to actually start stroking him, fisting his length slowly and renewing the wet trail he’d left before over his neck. 
> 
> "Is that a yes?" He murmured in response, teasing Levi with another smile.

When Levi glimpsed Erwin, he thought that he had what appeared to be a calm, encouraging look on his face - presumably for in case Levi had decided in the bathroom that he didn’t like this - but his eyes were raptly focused on him and full of something hot.

“Do they fit?” He asked after a moment’s pause where neither one of them spoke, a question that had Levi licking his lips, taking a deep breath in an attempt to sooth his suddenly pounding heart, and walking out.

“Why don’t you see for yourself?” He said, because there was no reason to keep Erwin waiting.

He approached him slowly after he left the bathroom, watching Erwin’s eyes snap down to his midsection and imagining that he could actually see his pupils dilating as he took him in. He couldn’t really see them from this far away, but what he did notice was how his expression went lidded and dark with arousal, and the way his lips parted at the moment he caught sight of the panties.

“You look mouth watering.” He murmured, reaching out as Levi got closer to place two big hands on his waist.

Levi had been planning to climb back into Erwin’s lap, but he was stopped, letting out a quiet gasp when Erwin let his thumb rub over where his cock fit underneath the lace. It was just a light touch, but it made his hips rock forward slightly, his hands lifting to rest on Erwin’s shoulders for balance when he leaned forward to kiss at his stomach.

He placed his lips there a few times, tongue teasing at his bellybutton, and then spun Levi around a second later. Unsurprisingly, Erwin’s hands came to rest on his ass, and as his fingers traced the edges of the panties, Levi heard him humming an approval before he grabbed two handfuls and squeezed. Then he leaned forward and pressed his face against it, nuzzling the lace and tickling Levi’s covered ass crack with the tip of his nose.

“Beautiful.” He said, and Levi might have appreciated the delicate words a bit more if they weren’t muffled by his backside, which Erwin’s cheek was now firmly pressed into as if he was holding a beloved pet or object to his face.

His arms slid around Levi’s front to palm at his bulge, and before Levi knew it, Erwin was tugging him backwards so that he was seated in his lap like that. He kissed at his neck, his breath hot and heavy, and toyed with a nipple while his other hand continued to rub his cock. All of the sudden sensations made Levi arch and spread his thighs, reaching back to grasp a handful of Erwin’s hair when he slipped his fingers inside the waistband of the panties. Now Erwin was cupping his erection, teasing the head of it with his thumb, and Levi was biting his lip and struggling not to let out an obscene moan.

Suddenly, though, after letting his head fall back against Erwin's shoulder, it came out as a gasp when he caught sight of himself - or rather, of the both of them with Erwin's hands all over him - in the mirror over Erwin's dresser. It was almost directly across from the chair they were sitting in, and if Levi had found the sight of just himself in the bathroom arousing in a way because of the panties, this was doubly so. They were clearly visible because of their bright color, only this time Erwin's hand was inside them cupping his cock and blocking the view. He had a hand over his chest too of course, and Levi could see his head moving from behind him as his mouth trailed over his shoulder.

Only then did he realize he had tensed and grown distracted, and that Erwin had noticed, because as Levi's gaze traveled toward Erwin's face he saw that he was watching their reflection in the mirror too. Their eyes met, and Levi felt Erwin's lips curl up into a smile. His thumb teased his cockhead again, and Levi's breath hitched.

"Do you like watching yourself?" Erwin asked him in a low voice, staring, watching Levi in the glass across from them as he kissed up towards his ear.

Levi did not answer but instead bit his lip, because honestly, he didn't know. This hadn't occurred to him before, but now that he'd glimpsed it, he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the sight of them both in Erwin's chair. It was filthy, _lewd_ in a way that seemed to make his cock pulse, and they really hadn't even done anything yet.

Arching his back again, Levi licked his lips, trailing his fingers through what of Erwin's blonde hair he could reach, focusing on where Erwin was suddenly pinching a nipple. It made him whine, and he was lucky enough to catch the sight of Erwin's teeth flashing out to nibble at his earlobe.

"Us." Levi said then, clarifying because that's what it was. It wasn't just him - it was what they were doing together, what Erwin was doing to him and how he reacted. "Erwin-"

"Don't you want to see what you look like when I fuck you, though?"

Erwin's lips ghosted over Levi's ear as he spoke, his eyes seemingly staring daggers at Levi in the mirror. His words made him swear and flush, the curse followed by a low groan and a roll of his hips when Erwin palmed at his cock with a bit more pressure.

_"Fuck."_ He said again a second later, as Erwin shifted his fingers to actually start stroking him, fisting his length slowly and renewing the wet trail he’d left before over his neck.

"Is that a yes?" He murmured in response, teasing Levi with another smile.

His palm was slick with pre-come from where he was touching Levi, and _of course_ it was a yes, because a pang of arousal had shot through him at the idea, so sharp that he’d dug his fingers into Erwin’s still clothed thigh.

"Hah, yes-" He breathed, tugging at Erwin's hair with his other hand, spreading his legs wider for more and staring out from underneath lidded eyes at where Erwin was touching him, at where his hand disappeared inside the panties and between Levi’s thighs, uttering a light moan that turned into a noise of disappointment when Erwin abruptly let go of him.  

It was so he could nudge Levi gently off his lap, but only so he could walk over to fetch the lube. He left Levi slumped in the chair, his own hand going to rub at his cock because the absence of Erwin’s had immediately left him aching. He bit his lip when he did it, feeling at where the panties were tight around his balls and at the blooming wet spot underneath his fingertips. Erwin had turned around to walk to his nightstand, but when he came back and caught sight of Levi like that he froze momentarily, and then he actually swore.

“Are you gonna take your clothes off?” Levi managed to ask while groping himself, because the only thing he saw wrong with this situation right then was that Erwin was still dressed.

Thankfully, he acquiesced, and paused so he could peel his shirt off and step out of his pants and socks. Then he was back in front of him, granting Levi with a full but sadly quick view of his broad chest, flat stomach, and thick cock before they’d readjusted so that Levi was back in his lap again.

He was in the same position as before with Erwin behind him, only this time when Levi glanced in the mirror, the sight of all of Erwin’s naked, bare skin pressed up against his back nearly took his breath away. Erwin was so big he dwarfed Levi most of the time, but he especially couldn’t help but notice it like this, the way Erwin’s arms seemed to swallow him whole when wrapped around him and how much bigger his thighs were. Levi fit against him so perfectly, tucked against him in a way that made him look impossibly small, and although he’d certainly known that was the case, thinking about it was one thing and seeing it reflected across from him in a mirror was quite another.

It all made his mouth go dry, especially when he focused on where his petite ass was seated in Erwin’s big lap, pressed against his groin enough so that Levi could feel the hard length of his cock digging into his back. He couldn’t help but shift back into it a little while Erwin was opening the lube behind him, thinking about how it must look stuffed inside his ass, how Erwin’s wide hips might look pressed up against Levi’s much tinier backside. At the thought he nearly whined under his breath, reaching down to touch himself again as Erwin’s hands suddenly found their way to his thighs.

“Sit like this.” He said quietly, holding Levi still as he slouched down into the seat behind him.

It made his legs stick out more and he spread them a bit, and then helped Levi adjust until thighs were pulled apart even more, each of them slung over Erwin’s so that his feet were tucked behind Erwin’s calves. Like that, Erwin could keep him spread with his knees, and once he slid down in Erwin’s lap some too his legs were so stretched apart that he felt a tightness in his tendons. It wasn’t uncomfortable though, it was the opposite, because the feeling just spread to his belly when Erwin knocked his wandering hand away and replaced it with his own.

He’d slipped it inside the panties again, his palm brushing against his cock but this time, going lower instead of remaining there. Two fingers, slick with lube already, went inside his ass easily enough, and Levi’s breath hitched as he sank down on them. In this position they could only go so far before Erwin ended up cupping his balls, but Levi didn’t mind that either, and he let his head fall back against Erwin’s shoulder when he started kissing his neck.

His mouth had ran over it everywhere by now, but Erwin couldn’t seemed to stop tasting him, nor could he stop his free hand from wandering all over Levi’s chest again. It was only so long before he was teasing at his nipples like before, thumb pressing down on one and pulling, pinching and rubbing while he crooked his fingers inside Levi’s ass and pressed his mouth all over his skin, and while Levi worked himself up into a slow rhythm of fucking himself on the digits. He’d angled his hips so that he could lift them up and down while using the way his feet were twisted around Erwin’s calves for leverage, and already, after just a few minutes, he was working up a sweat and panting.

It felt good, he couldn’t help it, and the sight of himself in the mirror was just urging him on more. His legs were spread so wide over Erwin’s that when he glimpsed it, he felt exposed, open, his cock sticking out of the panties and around where Erwin’s hand disappeared inside them and between his legs. Behind him, Erwin may have been planting kisses everywhere he could reach, but his eyes were wide open and watching him too, making heat prickle along Levi’s skin whenever he met his gaze.

All in all, it was enough to make Levi feel so turned on that he’d already reached an impressive volume with his moaning, and by the time Erwin had fit three fingers inside and had him ready, he’d already gotten himself so close to coming that he let out a frustrated whine at the sudden emptiness and lack of sensation when he removed them.

Erwin shushed him though as if to soothe him, and leaned forward to kiss his cheek before Levi twisted his head around to meet his lips. It was sloppy and wet and Levi had to squeeze his eyes shut to focus on catching his breath, another high-pitched sound escaping from his throat when Erwin shifted to grind his cock against Levi’s back.

“Sit up. Like this.” He told him, gently placing hands around his waist and nudging him forward so that he could apply lube to his cock, wrapping a hand around it and pulling the panties aside, angling it inside them and between Levi’s cheeks when he realized what he was doing and lifted his hips up.

When he started lowering himself back down he bit his lip, the first few inches of Erwin’s length pushing inside him seeming to push the air out of his lungs as well. He’d already fallen back against his chest again, and beneath him, Erwin was lifting his ass off the chair, thrusting shallowly to ease himself inside Levi as gently as possible. It didn’t take long like that, and once Levi was fully seated, his stretched thighs were already trembling with tension.

“Daddy-” He said, gasping when Erwin slid a hand down his chest to rest over his stomach, right over where Erwin’s thick cock was lodged inside him.

Like this, angled backward with his legs spread in Erwin’s lap, Levi seemed to feel every inch of it, the head pressing somewhere deep and the whole solid length making him feel full and warm. It was satisfying enough to make his legs feel like jelly already - or maybe that was from how he’d already spent time riding Erwin’s fingers to near completion - and he hadn’t even started moving yet.

He’d taken a moment to breathe, to close his eyes and rest his head back against Erwin’s shoulder again, but it wasn’t long before Erwin was shifting beneath him, moving his hand back up to press against Levi’s neck.

“Watch, Levi. Look.” Erwin said into his ear, his fingers teasing at his lips as Levi opened his eyes and lifted his head obediently, his gaze immediately going to the mirror in front of them.

He’d been so focused on how Erwin felt inside him - on how stretched and filled he felt everywhere - that he’d almost forgotten, but the sight that greeted him was one that he was sure he would remember for the rest of his life. Their reflection nearly took his breath away when he saw what he looked like slouched down and filled to the brim with Erwin’s cock, the sight of it disappearing inside the pink lacy pants and into his ass causing him to almost reflexively clench around it.

That, in turn, made Erwin grunt, the sound almost imperceptible over Levi’s own moan. His jaw had gone slack long ago, and there was absolutely no way he could keep it closed now, especially once Erwin wrapped his hands around his waist suddenly and eased him up. Levi helped, seeing what he was doing, his eyes focusing on how Erwin’s length slid out of him and then back inside when he lowered himself. It was slick from the lube and shone wetly in the dim light, and Levi might have been embarrassed about the loud, high-pitched noise he made if he was capable of coherent thought.

Right now, he was anything but, practically mesmerized by the sight in front of him as they both started moving. Like this, he had to do most of the work, rolling his hips, leaning back against Erwin’s chest and reaching over his shoulder to tangle a hand in his hair again for something to hold on to. He fisted his fingers into the blonde locks before he could stop himself, breathy, desperate noises falling from his lips while he lifted and lowered himself eagerly.

Erwin wasn’t sitting still behind him though, he had sat up, wrapped an arm around Levi’s middle to help keep him steady and dug teeth into his shoulder. That made Levi curse and squeeze his eyes shut momentarily, opening them again when Erwin’s hand found its way back to his neck. He didn’t grip or squeeze it, just rested it there, and a moment later Levi’s eyes met Erwin’s own in the mirror.

“See how good you look like this?” Erwin panted into his ear then, his lips grazing the shell of it, his other hand snaking around to grasp Levi's cock.

By now, the panties were half pulled down and crooked, and wet in places from lube, sweat, and pre-come. Levi’s length had fallen nearly all the way out of them, and Erwin jerked them down the rest of the way over his hip so he could stroke him without hindrance.

“Daddy-” Levi said at that, moaning his name and arching up into his fist at the added sensation, staring into the mirror and trying to figure out where he should look and what he should focus on. _"Erwin."_

What was happening between their legs was nearly hypnotizing, but the reflection of Erwin’s eyes in the mirror was focused on Levi’s face, on his slack-jawed, fucked out looking expression, and on his flushed cheeks and cherry red lips.

“You look beautiful, Levi.” Erwin was saying, his voice husky and deep with arousal and strained from pleasure. His fingers trailed over Levi’s jaw and his bottom lip, two of them pushing into Levi’s mouth when he laved his tongue out over them. “You’re such a beautiful, good boy for daddy. I don’t think I could ever get tired of seeing you like this, of watching you take my cock, you-”

Levi did not hear the rest of what Erwin said. The praise, along with the pleasure shooting up his spine from riding Erwin’s cock and the friction from his palm, had tipped him over the edge into something uncontrollable. The tension that had been building in his belly and thighs released so suddenly that it made him cry out, his whole body shuddering through the intense, blissful wave that washed over him.

It caused his eyes to close without his express permission, and he slumped back against Erwin while he came, barely realizing he had done it until the feel of Erwin’s wet hand sliding up his stomach made his mind clear. He’d spilled all over his fingers, of course, and completely soaked the panties, and the next time he caught sight of them both in the mirror he could only weakly groan.

He looked like a wreck, but watching him come had apparently made something that Erwin had been struggling to keep control of inside himself snap, because no sooner had their eyes met then he was lifting Levi off his cock, wrapping his arms around him, and sliding them both to the floor. He’d turned Levi over before he barely knew what was happening, tearing the panties off his legs so hard that Levi heard a ripping noise before he pushed back inside him with a grunt and a jerk of his hips that made Levi nearly bite through his lip.

_“Fuck!”_ He gasped, arching his back as Erwin immediately buried his face in Levi’s neck and started to pound into him.

Levi still felt a little dazed from his orgasm, but he was able to tell that apparently, not being able to move much in the chair while Levi rode him in lace panties in front of a mirror must have gotten Erwin pent up. Now he was really fucking him, _hard_ , like he was making up for the slow, steady pace Levi had held before in his lap.

All he could really do while Erwin thrusted into him was hold on, wrapping his arms and legs around him, digging his fingers into his back and whimpering when Erwin hit his prostate. He was so oversensitive that he was trembling,  but fortunately, for all his excitement, Erwin didn't last much longer. He held his rough pace out for a few more minutes and then his hips began to stutter, and suddenly he groaned harshly into Levi's neck and stilled deep inside him. Then he was kissing him, shaking in Levi's arms and moaning weakly into his mouth one more time as he shifted, pulled out, and flopped over onto his side next to Levi.

"Shit." Levi said, staring at Erwin's high ceiling. He was still panting, trying to catch his breath, and his mouth hung open as if he intended to say something else. He had no idea what though, as his brain still seemed to be trying to catch up to what had just happened, and after his head tilted to the side and he caught sight of the panties - or what was left of them - he ended up just blurting out something obvious. “You ruined the panties.”

Beside him, Erwin laughed, a loose noise coming out from around his own attempts to catch his breath. “Yes. I’m sorry, I might have gotten a little carried away.”

He was referring to the way he’d practically thrown Levi onto the floor after he’d come, surely, but Levi hadn’t been complaining. It was uncomfortable and he felt like he could barely move, not to mention the ache that was already beginning in his groin from how wide his damn legs had been spread, but the way Erwin had manhandled him to the ground and started fucking him as hard as he could like he hadn’t been able to control himself had been, well, it had been pretty damn hot.

Before he could figure out how to tell Erwin that, he was shifting next to him to kiss Levi’s cheek however, sitting up to scoop him into his arms before Levi could protest.

“Come here.” He said, lifting him up bridal style with only the slightest grunt, rising to his feet easily with Levi instinctively curling against him so that he wouldn’t fall.

Immediately, he’d grabbed at Erwin’s shoulders, but then flushed and opened his mouth to say something.

“Hey-” He started, but didn’t get far with any potential complaints as Erwin had crossed the few steps across his room to the bed and laid him down, crawling over him to plant a warm, soft kiss on his lips.

“Thank you.” Erwin said, lying beside him again and brushing his palm over Levi’s cheek.

He used it to push his still damp bangs back, kissing him again lightly, tenderly enough to make Levi bite his lip when he pulled away. What was he thanking him for? The sex? Oh, right, Levi remembered, he’d let Erwin choose what he wanted to do. He had to admit, when he’d started this, he didn’t think it would end up with him in panties in Erwin’s lap, riding him while they both watched in the mirror. He’d expected something more extreme, but then again, when he thought about it, Levi had been the one to instigate their more rough activities in most cases, so to speak. This had been gentle, and not that it hadn’t been deviant in a way, because it kind of was, but it had been sensual, more intimate than anything Levi had ever experienced.

Suddenly, thinking about it, he felt closer to Erwin than he ever had, a swell of something warm and tingly blossoming in his chest - something that he also saw reflected in Erwin’s eyes. It was the beginnings of something that he didn’t quite understand yet, and without knowing what to make of it, he flushed and pressed his face against Erwin’s neck, planting a kiss there as Erwin wrapped an arm around him. He pulled him close and rested his chin on Levi's head, their legs tangling together towards the edge of the bed.

"I hope those panties weren't expensive." Levi said, breaking the silence a moment later. "Since you ripped the shit out of them."

"I can buy you new ones." Erwin replied, to which Levi scoffed.

"Are you my sugar daddy now?"

He'd blurted it out before he could help himself, teasing, but, well, the question did hold some validity to it - at least in his mind. However, he also wasn't sure if that was a question you just fucking asked someone who may or may not be your sugar daddy, and it made Levi tense because he wasn't sure how Erwin would react. Was it like asking someone to be your boyfriend? And had he just unwittingly asked Erwin to become someone whose inherent purpose was to buy him things?

As usual, though, Levi ended up cursing his tendency to overthink things when it came to Erwin, because he only chuckled and hugged him tighter.

"I don't know. I wouldn't mind being your sugar daddy." He said, causing Levi's eyes to widen and his ears to burn. "If that means you'd cook for me every night."

"What, as repayment? I think I'm probably just supposed to suck your dick as repayment."

"That's also acceptable."

Levi could hear the smile in Erwin's voice as he spoke, and he let out an amused exhale when Levi playfully kneed him in the stomach.

"Fucker." He muttered, not actually put out in the least.

He didn't think he'd mind sucking Erwin's dick every day, something which he'd never felt about anyone before. How could he tell him that, though? Should he? No, he thought, it might sound too much like a declaration of commitment or whatever, which, even though Erwin might have made his own strange one with the sugar daddy comment, Levi was too nervous to make.

He was also too tired, because after work and the strenuous sex they'd just had, Levi's post orgasmic bliss was enough to make his eyelids droop. He was sticky and covered in dried sweat, but for once he wasn't worried about it. The thought that he would wash up in the morning was the last coherent one he had before he fell asleep, curled up comfortably against Erwin's warm chest and in his big arms. As he was drifting off to the feel of Erwin's fingers running through his hair, he might have heard him sigh in contentment and mumble something about how he wished he didn't have to leave - but he also might have imagined it.

When he woke up hours later he found himself practically lying on top of Erwin in a cocoon of blankets, warm and snug with an arm and a leg slung over him under where Erwin must have wrapped both ends of the comforter around them. He was on his back, snoring, and had both his arms wrapped loosely around Levi's shoulders. Levi only stayed awake long enough to squint at the clock on Erwin's nightstand, shifting a bit when he saw that it was only 3:30 AM and promptly going back to sleep. At 10 he woke up again to Erwin spooning him, and if he'd thought the realization of going back to reality the day before had been shitty, it was even worse now.

Yesterday's had only been temporary, but today it was different. It was Sunday, and Levi would have to go to work in a few hours and class the next day and Erwin back to his job. Not to mention the fact that he had to go see his mother and face Kenny again, but lying there with Erwin pressed against his back, he decided he wasn't going to do it without giving him one last ride.

Rolling over, this time Levi woke Erwin up with kisses, pressing wet lips to his neck and nosing at the underside of his jaw, tasting sweat and feeling the rough tickling from his stubble until Erwin stirred with a light moan and opened his eyes.

"Mm, _good morning._ " He mumbled, looking everything like a giant, rumpled, half-asleep teddy bear.

The thought made Levi stop what he was doing for a moment to take him in, getting a quick glimpse of his pink-from-sleep-cheeks and swollen eyes, and his blonde hair which was sticking up crookedly every which way before Erwin turned to kiss him. It was lazy and sleepy but did nothing to deter Levi from his mission, which was to get Erwin hard again as quickly as possible.

It wasn’t difficult, not when he was already halfway there. Levi discovered this after sliding a palm down his warm chest between his legs, wrapping loose fingers around the soft-but-growing-firm flesh of his cock.

“I was going to ask if you wanted to get breakfast with me.” Erwin said, amusement in his eyes when he pulled away to look at Levi. “But I see you’re not quite ready to get out of bed yet.”

Levi’s immediate response was to dip his head down to kiss Erwin’s throat again, sucking lightly at where his pulse was and then sharply once he reached his collarbone. Then he climbed on top of him, sliding a thigh over his waist to straddle him.

“That sounds good.” He said at that point, reaching back to grasp Erwin’s cock again to give it a good squeeze. Erwin bucked up into his hand, his eyes already latched onto where Levi’s own erection was straining up between his legs, and Levi licked his lips. “After this.”

He wasn’t lying; breakfast was a good idea because he didn’t think he’d have time to cook anything before work, and it made sense since Erwin was going to have to drive him there anyway. Levi wanted to do as much with him as he could before he had to go, but that also included what he was doing with him here. It was because he didn’t know when he was going to see him again - that was the reason for his insistence - because they’d yet to make any new plans for after this weekend and Levi wasn’t sure what came next.

“You’re still a mess from last night.” Erwin said quietly, after raising his hands up to grasp Levi’s hips, his fingers brushing over the remnants of what had dried on his stomach from the night before.

“Yeah.” Levi agreed, making a face. It was disgusting, but it would have to wait. He’d been slowly stroking Erwin behind him, and although he felt an ache in his thighs from how he’d ridden him all stretched out in the chair not even twelve hours ago, it wasn’t bad enough for him to give this up. “So is my ass, so we don’t have to do any work. Where’s the lube?”

Levi ran his free hand up Erwin’s chest while he spoke, stopping over a nipple when Erwin turned his head to look off the edge of the bed towards the chair they’d been sitting in. The lube was on the floor next to it, Levi saw, and sadly out of reach. Erwin must have been thinking the same thing because he frowned, and then looked back to Levi with what could only be described as a pathetic expression.

With a huff, Levi slid off him since apparently Erwin was not going to take the initiative to get out of bed, fetching it quickly and returning to see that Erwin had not even shifted in the least. He was still lying on his back looking relaxed except for his erect cock, and stifled a yawn as Levi came back.

“Lazy bastard.” Levi said to him as he climbed back over his waist, teasing, leaning down to give him an eager kiss. If he didn’t know better, he’d think Erwin wasn’t interested in this, but his obvious arousal and the way his hands automatically found their way to Levi’s ass told him otherwise. Apparently, he was just having some trouble shaking off sleep, and Levi couldn’t help but find it a bit cute. “You need to wake up, old man.”

“M’awake.” Erwin mumbled, letting out a half gasp, half laugh when Levi suddenly pinched one of his nipples.

“Did I wear you out last night? I was the one doing all the damn work.” Levi said, twisting atop Erwin to slick up his cock with the lube. “And now I’m doing it again.”

“I like watching you, though.” Erwin responded, as if that was his explanation for being perfectly content with Levi taking the lead that morning.

Not that Levi minded, of course. This had gone much further than role-playing and sex games, and he had long ago decided he wanted Erwin any way he could have him.

“I noticed.” Levi scoffed, thinking about last night, how Erwin’s eyes had barely moved from the sight of Levi riding him in the mirror. The memory made a renewed jolt of arousal flare up in his belly, and with a flick of his wrist, he’d tossed the lube away, raising himself up onto his knees and wrapping his fingers around the base of Erwin’s cock so he could guide it between his legs. “Be still.”

Like he’d told Erwin moments ago, Levi was still open and wet on the inside from the night before, from where Erwin had spilled his come somewhere deep inside him, and it wasn’t much for him to lower himself down back onto his length again with a sigh. It was one of pleasure, of satisfaction and contentment as the feeling he enjoyed so much returned to him, and beneath him, Erwin echoed it in a low groan.

“God, Levi.” He breathed a moment later when Levi started moving, his thumbs pressing twin bruises into each of Levi’s hip bones. “You feel perfect.”

The words made Levi flush, but he didn’t stop, rolling his hips slowly, feeling the drag of Erwin’s cock inside his ass as outside, his palms made their way to his cheeks. Unsurprisingly, Erwin squeezed and kneaded the flesh, but guided him in his lazy rhythm too with gentle nudges forward and backward from his hands, and helping him ease himself up and down on top of him when he moved like that.

Levi had not intended to go slow like this, but for some reason, he found, it felt just as good as if Erwin was pounding into him from behind. Already he was panting wetly as pleasure prickled along his hot, sweaty skin, breathy moans falling from his lips when he angled his ass just right and Erwin’s cock hit the right spot. It made him shudder each time, his belly tightening already, because whenever he moved every single inch of Erwin’s length seemed to set off all of his oversensitive nerves.

_“Fuck-”_ He hissed, as the heat pooled in his groin and thighs and he became more and more tense, planting a hand on Erwin’s chest to steady himself so he could control the angle better. His mouth dropped open when he found it perfectly, a shudder running through him when he grinded down into it. “Right there. Don’t move, Erwin, _ah-_ ”

A whine escaped from his throat when Erwin moved despite the command he’d babbled, but it was only his hands leaving his ass, only so he could slide them over his hips and up his waist, along his sides until the fingers of one could tease at a nipple. His other left to rub at one of Levi’s thighs, his thumb caressing the sensitive inner skin of it while Levi arched his back and started to go faster. He couldn’t help it now and all of his writhing seemed to have finally gotten Erwin fully awake, as he was digging his feet into the bed and thrusting up into him sharply too.

Together, they finished like that a few minutes later, Erwin right on the heels of Levi after he stroked himself a few times and came with a harsh cry. The clenching of his ass took him over the edge, and moments later, Levi found himself wrapped up in Erwin’s arms again, off his lap and lying beside him while they caught their breath.

Levi felt content, and idly, wondered how he had accidentally fallen into something like this. It was certainly not what he’d planned, but it didn’t matter. Erwin made him happy, and the only thing interrupting that right then was the fact that he had to leave. It was the last thing he wanted to do, and he already felt longing gnawing in his chest just at the idea of being apart from Erwin. Erwin seemed to feel the same way from what Levi could gather - or at least, he hoped - because at breakfast, he appeared to be a little melancholy.

When he smiled it didn’t quite meet his eyes, and Levi noticed his gaze lingering over his face a bit sadly while he talked. Whether Erwin not wanting him to leave was wishful thinking or not on Levi’s part, he didn’t know, but _he_ certainly felt that way. He was quiet at breakfast and felt mopey, because he’d basically just spent the weekend with Erwin, and by now, wasn’t even caught off guard from how much he’d enjoyed it.

Everything about their time together had felt natural, and right, like Levi, for lack of a better explanation, belonged there. At least, that was how he felt, and he hoped it would turn out that Erwin thought Levi belonged there too. It was probably still too early to tell, Levi reminded himself, as this had only just begun. However, despite that fact, he just couldn’t stop himself from wishing that he knew what was going to happen.

“I had a good time with you this weekend, Levi.” Erwin told him after breakfast, making Levi’s heart race. By then they were in Erwin’s car on the way to Levi’s work, and Erwin had a tight grip on his hand again in between their two seats. “I’d like to take you out again. If you want to, of course.”

“I do.” Levi said immediately, because for fuck’s sake, he thought that was pretty obvious by now. “When?”

Erwin paused, a small, pleased smile on his face as he thought, and Levi felt his heart skip a beat. It was such a familiar feeling by now that he barely noticed it, but it turned into anticipation when Erwin then suggested Tuesday. As far as this week went, Tuesday was perfect. He didn’t have work that day and he got out of class early, and best of all, it was only two days away from now.

“Great.” Erwin said once Levi agreed, kissing his palm, and then leaning over to press his lips to his cheek when he’d pulled up in front of Levi’s restaurant and parked. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Levi swallowed at that, feeling so buoyant suddenly that it threatened to make him smile, and turned so he could meet Erwin’s mouth with his own instead. They’d arrived a little earlier even after morning sex, a long shower, and breakfast, and Levi didn’t give a shit about anyone at his work seeing him making out with another guy in his car. With that thought in mind, he leaned forward a bit over the console, into Erwin’s warm space as he placed a hand on his chest.

In turn, Erwin slid a hand into Levi’s hair, winding his fingers between the strands and rubbing at his scalp. It made him shiver pleasantly, and they kissed like that for a few minutes until Levi cracked an eye open to glance at the clock and the glide of their lips became more sweet and lingering.

“I gotta go.” He said eventually, breathing the words into Erwin’s mouth, digging his fingers into his chest like he couldn’t bear to be parted from him.

“Alright.” Erwin replied, kissing him again. He pulled away, and then gave him one more peck, and then another, giving him at least four more last kisses before Levi finally started to gather his things. “Have a good day. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Yeah.” Levi said, climbing out of the car with a barely restrained sigh.

He closed the door and Erwin drove away, and luckily Levi’s ensuing work shift was short, or he might have been in a bad mood by the time he got to his mother’s place. Thankfully, though, it was, and they weren’t very busy for a Sunday afternoon so he was even allowed to leave early, arriving to see Kuchel with an armful of food he’d brought with him from work.

“Hey, mom.” He greeted her as usual, accepting her hug once he’d set his things down.

“Hi, Levi. How are you?” Kuchel asked, giving him a gentle squeeze.

Obviously, she was in a good mood if her chipper tone said anything, and right then Levi knew that he wouldn’t be able to bring anything up about what she’d told his uncle, about how she thought she was a burden on Levi.

“I’m fine.” Levi said slowly, looking around behind her for him even though the suite was quiet. “Is Kenny here?”

“No, it's just us tonight. What did you bring?”

“We had some extra steak dinners, so I brought that. There’s mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and rolls.”

Kuchel hummed approvingly, and went into the kitchen to begin setting the table. She did it flawlessly, without even forgetting where anything was, and Levi raised an eyebrow as he watched her. She hadn’t acted this normal in months, and she certainly seemed less anxious. He was pretty sure it was too soon for any effects of her new medicine to show already, but he couldn’t help but wonder if despite what Hange had told him, just the visit had done her some good, and if her severe anxiety really had been making her alzheimer’s worse.

While they ate dinner, Levi asked her about the appointment, nodding when she told him it had gone fine, which wasn’t surprising. It reiterated what Hange had told him, but then again, Levi didn’t think she would tell him even if it had gone badly. She kept things from him, things like how she felt about Levi having to take care of her and the reasons for her fretting. He understood a bit, but it again made him feel guilty about not being able to take her to the appointment, because what if Hange had missed something about why she’d been so bothered that he could’ve caught?

“Sorry I couldn’t go.” He blurted then, pushing his mashed potatoes around his plate moodily with a fork.

“It's alright.” Kuchel responded, a glowing smile still on her face as she gazed at her son across the table. “You uncle told me you had a date. How did it go?”

At that, Levi almost dropped his fork, because _god fucking dammit_ , couldn’t his shitty uncle keep his stupid mouth shut about anything? He wasn’t surprised, not really, but it still annoyed him. It wasn’t Kenny’s place to tell his mom about Erwin, it was his, but now he supposed he didn’t really have a choice. He could probably brush it off or bullshit his way through the conversation, and opened his mouth to do so. Before he could speak, however, Hange’s words from the day before came back to him.

_“She wants you to be able to act your age.”_ Hange had told him, repeating something that she had apparently told Kenny.

What were the chances Kenny had told her for that reason, Levi wondered, to cheer her up rather than just to be an annoying shit? He wasn’t sure, but either way, knowing that he was dating someone would probably make his mother happy. With that thought in mind, he gritted his teeth and sighed, nodding resolutely at her question.

“Yeah. It wasn’t bad.”

“Where did you go? What’s his name? Tell me about him, Levi.”

Levi bit his lip, his eyes now focused squarely on his macaroni and cheese. Kuchel was clearly pleased by this, and he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed at the thought of telling her about Erwin - mainly because of how much he liked him. The thought that it might show to his mother mortified him for some reason, and his ears burned preemptively, the scarlet flush threatening to spread down over his cheeks. As he thought about what to say, choosing his words carefully, though, he also found that he did want to tell Kuchel about Erwin, maybe just a little.

“His name is Erwin.” He started, swallowing and still not looking at her. “He’s a lawyer.”

“A lawyer? How old is he?”

At that question, Levi clenched his jaw. Erwin was older than him by a good bit, and although he was several years over the legal age and he didn’t see why it would matter, he wasn’t sure how his mother would react to it.

“He’s, uh...older than me.” Levi said simply, hoping she would accept that answer.

Luckily, she did, or at least seemed to understand that Levi didn’t want to say. Kuchel laughed lightly, wiping her mouth with a napkin, and when Levi chanced a glance at her he saw that she was practically beaming at him.

“That’s alright.” She said, reaching from where she was sitting next to him to place an encouraging hand on his shoulder. “Did he take you to a nice restaurant?”

“We went to a diner.”

Kuchel smiled warmly at that, pushing Levi’s hair back when he looked at her. “You’re blushing. You must like him.”

_Fuck you Kenny._ Levi thought then, aware that his face now felt like it was on fire. He stabbed a piece of steak perhaps a bit harder than he’d intended, clenching his jaw, and shook off his mother’s hand.

“A date to a diner. That’s sweet. How long have you been seeing him?”

“Not that long, mom.” Levi said then, with an air of dismissal in his voice. She was getting too excited, and although he was willing to divulge a little bit of information about Erwin to her since she’d asked, he didn’t need her thinking that Erwin was his boyfriend because he wasn’t. “He’s not my boyfriend. We’re just dating.”

Deep down, he felt like he was probably reminding himself, because the lighthearted feeling he was getting from thinking about Erwin right now was becoming overwhelming.

“I get it, sweetheart.” Kuchel said, making Levi narrow his eyes. What the fuck? She hadn’t called him that since he was a kid. Was she teasing him now? “All that matters is whether or not he makes you happy. Does he? It looks like it.”

Practically grinding his teeth, Levi shifted uncomfortably in his seat. ‘Yes, stupidly so because I’m a fucking idiot’ was the correct answer, but he could not say that.

“He bought me tea. And a teapot. We’re going out again Tuesday. Is there any other shit you want to know?”

“No.” Kuchel proclaimed, sitting back in her seat. “I’ve heard enough. It sounds like he’s head over heels with you already.”

Her words made Levi’s stomach flip, because it was the first outside opinion he’d heard about Erwin, really.  He’d thought the gifts were a good sign, but doubting himself was apparently going to be a theme in this relationship, or whatever it was. It wasn’t his fault - he just didn’t have any experience, especially not with someone like Erwin who was older and intimidating because he presumably knew what he was doing. Regardless, it was nice to hear that someone else who knew about these things agreed that Erwin buying him a present already was promising.

It also made Levi think of Erwin’s words in the car the night before: _“I think I was smitten with you from the moment I saw your picture.”_

It had made him blush, yeah, but he hadn’t been completely sure whether Erwin was just talking shit or not. Now it made him wonder again, and not for the first time, whether Erwin felt as strongly about Levi as he did Erwin. Perhaps, if he meant that comment, he had felt that way from the beginning. That would almost be ironic if he had, because Levi certainly hadn’t anticipated developing feelings for Erwin that went beyond what he felt in his dick when _he’d_ first seen Erwin’s picture.

Those thoughts kept him cheerful enough for the rest of his visit with Kuchel, and even when he had to go home and deal with Kenny. He too bombarded Levi with questions about how his date went, questions like ‘Did he pay for your food?’ and ‘When’s he gonna buy you a car?’ that were decidedly much different than the ones his mother had asked him. Also unlike Kuchel though, Levi did not have an obligation to tell his uncle shit, so he just ignored him and locked himself in his room, undressing and slipping on one of Erwin’s shirts before crawling into bed with it again.

That had almost become his routine every night that he was home now, even though he’d washed the shirts too many times for any of Erwin’s smell to still be lingering on them, but they were oversized and comfortable all the same, and it still made him feel like he was close to him even though he wasn’t there in a way. It didn’t make much sense, but that’s how it was, and Levi wasn’t going to deny himself anything like that when he was alone.

He wasn’t going to deny himself a chance to talk to Erwin, either, when Erwin, apparently thinking along the same lines, texted him and asked if he could call.

_yeah._ Levi replied back, before biting his lip and adding: _i’d like that._

They talked that night for at least an hour about nonsense, and on Tuesday they had their date. It went just as well as the first one, if not better, and Levi ended up spending the night with him again. It meant getting up extra early so Erwin could drive him to school and waiting around there for class to start, but he didn’t mind, especially when they made plans to see each other again on Friday.

The next month and a half went by like that, with Levi and Erwin continuing to go on dates, talk on the phone nearly every day, and growing close enough that Levi began to feel put out by the fact that Erwin hadn’t asked him to be his boyfriend, or that they hadn’t had some kind of discussion about it. Enough time had passed by then that it wasn’t just him being impatient either, he felt, and the only thing that made him doubt himself a little was the fact that he’d been cramming for Mr. Dawk’s exam for the past two weeks, and had to forego spending as much time with Erwin as he’d been before.

Regardless, he’d decided, he wanted to ask Erwin about it. He wanted to see Erwin and Erwin only, to be a permanent fixture in his life, for them to actually be a couple, and he wanted to know that Erwin felt the same way. If he didn’t, Levi realized, then there was no point in continuing this because he was going to get hurt. Actually, he was already doomed to be heartbroken if they discussed it because he liked Erwin too much, but there was nothing he could do about that now.

The only thing he _could_ do was make sure it didn’t affect any other part of his life, like his schoolwork, and that was why he’d decided to wait until after his exam to bring it up. He didn’t want any potential break-up bullshit to cause him to get a bad grade, especially since he was busting his ass to study all this information that he didn’t even enjoy. Getting a good mark on this exam was important for his future and for his mother, and he was determined not to let himself get distracted no matter what.

Unfortunately, however, that happened anyway, and for reasons that Levi would not have ever expected.

The morning of his exam, Levi woke up with plenty of time to shower and get dressed. He ate a full breakfast and read some things he was still fuzzy about, but all in all, felt confident that he was going to do well. Just as he was walking out the door with plenty of time to catch the bus, however, his cell phone rang.

Frowning, he stopped to pull it out of his pocket, first swiping past a text from Erwin that said _Good luck on your exam. :-)_ that he’d somehow missed, to see that it was Hange calling.

That was strange. Hange knew his class schedule, and didn’t call him during the day. The only reason they would be calling now was if there was some sort of emergency, or-

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Levi answered the phone.

“Hello?” He said cautiously, standing in place in his living room.

“Levi! Its Hange.” Hange said, a hint of alarm in their voice. “I’m in an ambulance with your mother. She had a stroke. She’s stable and conscious, but we’re taking her to the hospital.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this story got sidetracked with a lot of porn (my bad) but it should pick up again here. Thanks to everyone who continues to read/comment and leave kudos <333
> 
> Just a few more chapters before we're through :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You aren’t my boyfriend.” Levi said simply, looking at anywhere but Erwin, suddenly full of fear that even after all of this, Erwin was going to reject him. 
> 
> Levi stopped because Erwin let out a laugh of all things, a short, breathy one that sounded like it was loaded with far more than amusement. Was it relief, or disbelief? He couldn’t tell, and looking up at him in confusion at the sound of it, Levi frowned, opening his mouth to ask Erwin what the fuck he was laughing at, only to close it again when Erwin spoke before he could.
> 
> “I’m sorry.” Erwin said, apologizing for his laughter. “It’s just, I want to be. Your boyfriend, I mean. I want to be with you, Levi.”

“What?” Levi blurted at Hange’s words, his eyes widening as fear and panic rushed through him and while he struggled to process what they’d just said. The shock of it all made him freeze for a second, before he stumbled backwards to seat himself in the nearest chair. “Is she alright?!”

_“Yes, she’s as good as she can be, like I said. She’s awake but she’s out of it, and we’re taking her to the emergency room. We just left her suite and I called you as soon as we got in the ambulance. We’re going to the hospital on 4th Street.”_

Hange rattled off more directions while Levi sat in the chair, gripping his phone so tightly that his knuckles were surely white. His heart was pounding in his chest and he felt sick with anxiety, so much so that suddenly he almost couldn’t breathe. He closed his eyes and sat very still for a moment, thinking things over slowly until the initial scare passed and he managed to get ahold of himself - as much as he could, anyway. His mother wasn’t dead, thankfully, but she was in serious condition from what it sounded like, and getting to the hospital to be with her was now the only thing on his mind.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Levi said, jumping up from the chair to look out the window.

Kenny’s car was in the driveway, but he wasn’t in the living room, and Levi hadn’t seen him all morning. Was he even in the house?

“Kenny!” He shouted, hanging up the phone and practically busting open the door to his mother’s room, ready to lose his shit if he was in there.

He wasn’t though, and Levi cursed, making his way down the hall to see that the light was on in their spare bathroom.

“Kenny, mom-” Levi started, only to be interrupted by his uncle shouting at him.

“Shrimp, I’m trying to take a shit!” He yelled, and Levi swore again, whirling around and rushing back down the hallway.

_To hell with him._ Levi thought. He didn’t have time to fucking wait around for his uncle to finish taking a shit while his mother was in the hospital - something that he obviously didn’t care about since he wouldn’t let Levi finish his damn sentence. Couldn’t he tell that it was an emergency?

Either way, Levi wasn’t going to waste time negotiating with him. All he really needed from him was a ride anyway, because there was no way in hell he was taking the bus. It would take too long, and if Kenny wasn’t going to drive him, then Levi would just drive himself.

He knew how; his mother had taught him in case of emergencies. He didn’t have his license, but he didn’t give a shit about that right now. Obviously, this _was_ a fucking emergency, so after grabbing Kenny’s keys from where he spotted them on the counter, he practically flew out of their house, slamming the door behind him and diving into the car.

Levi was a little worried about how out of practice he probably was, but as it turned out, driving after a long time of not doing so was just like getting back on a bicycle. He was careful not to speed too much or break any traffic laws on his way there, because he didn’t want to get pulled over and get some asshole cop who wouldn’t give him a break despite what was going on. It took him about twenty minutes to reach the hospital, and by then he’d calmed down enough to not run inside and bombard the first nurse he saw with questions.

He was still worried and a little bit afraid though, something that made him feel like a helpless little kid when he was forced to sit down and wait for a nurse outside the ER when he arrived. They were in the process of moving Kuchel into a room, he was told, but that was all the person at the front desk knew when he’d asked.

Hange had told him she was stable, but what if that had changed? What if something else had happened in the ambulance after he’d hung up the phone, or in the ER when she was getting checked out? What if she had another stroke, and they didn’t allow cell phones so Hange couldn’t let him know? What would happen to her from this one? Had it been bad enough to affect her speech or anything like that?

Those were just a few of the thoughts that ran through his mind while he waited, ignoring calls from Kenny that were superseded by texts like _‘where did you go? where’d you take my car?!’_ that Levi only responded to with _‘i’m at the hospital, you piece of shit’_ before shoving his phone into his pocket so he could concentrate on not letting his thoughts get out of control.

It didn’t work very well, and by the time a nurse finally came to fetch him 45 fucking minutes later, he was riddled with anxiety and tension and nearly to the point of tears. Luckily, though, when he was brought to another empty waiting room on another floor, Hange was waiting for him, and he’d never been so happy to see them when they offered him a small, reassuring smile.

It didn’t quite meet their eyes, but he knew from the look they gave him and their demeanor that his mother was at least not dead or now in critical condition from something else happening.

“She’s going to be alright.” Hange confirmed to him after giving him a hug. “It was a minor stroke, and from the preliminary scans it doesn’t appear to have caused any more brain damage than she already has. Not all of them have come back, though.”

“Was it because of her-” Levi wanted to say ‘because of her Alzheimer’s,’ but just couldn’t bring himself to ask at that moment.

Instead, he stopped and swallowed, worried suddenly that if it _had_ caused this, it’d be something they’d have to deal with again. Luckily, though, Hange picked up on what he was trying to say, and shook their head.

“No. It doesn’t look like it in this instance. But it could make that worse. We don’t know yet. Her doctor wants to monitor her for a few days, and like I said, they’re still waiting on some scans-”

“Is she awake?” Levi asked, staring at the door that Hange had come out of - presumably, Kuchel’s room.

“Yes.”

“Can I see her?”

“Yes.” Hange said again, although a bit more reluctantly this time. Immediately, Levi began walking forward, because despite the fact that he’d been reassured several times that she was alright, he wanted to see it for himself. “She’s out of it though, Levi, like I told you. The doctors gave her strong anti-anxiety medication and a small sedative because she wasn’t cooperating.”

Levi made a face at Hange’s words, but didn’t see why that mattered. So what if she was dazed and sleepy? She was still awake, and still _alive_ , right? But, it seemed, after how good Levi’s last visit with her had gone, he had already forgotten about how bad she could get.

“Mom.” Levi said quietly when he opened her door and walked in, spotting Kuchel lying prone in a hospital bed surrounded by wires and monitors and tubes. She was receiving oxygen through her nose and looked out of it like Hange had warned him, but it was how pale and feeble she appeared that made Levi’s heart clench painfully in his chest. Worst of all, though, upon hearing his voice, Kuchel looked over at him and her expression twisted into one of confusion, and Levi suddenly had a painful, horrifying, sinking feeling in his stomach.

“Who are you?” She asked, her sweet tone not at all matching the mildly concerned expression on her face.

At the question, Levi had stopped, freezing in place at the foot of her bed. Instantly, he knew what was happening in the back of his mind, but that didn’t keep him from staring at her in shock, with wide eyes now suddenly brimming with tears.

“Levi.” He said in a small voice, clenching his fists at his sides in an effort to keep himself calm. Getting upset wouldn’t help anything in this situation, and even though he’d known this would happen one day, the fact that his own mother didn’t recognize him made him feel like his heart was breaking. “Your son.”

“I don’t have a son. What the hell are you talking about? Where’s Kenny?”

Kuchel’s voice had started to gain a hysterical edge as she spoke - albeit a small one, given how much medication she was on - and her face had gone from confusion to alarm, like the fact that she didn’t know who Levi was or how he was acting in response to her question was upsetting her.

It made sense that it was; if someone came up to Levi and told him he had a son when at that moment he had no memory of it, he would certainly be a little freaked out. But that didn’t make it any easier for him to deal with, and right then, Levi could not stay in the room any longer.

His presence was upsetting his mother, and the fact that she was experiencing that in the first place because she didn’t know who he was after years of raising him was upsetting Levi. Whirling around, he walked out the door briskly, ignoring Hange’s protests for him to wait and nearly barreling into his uncle when he turned the corner.

“Levi!” Kenny said, sounding out of breath like he’d run to the fucking hospital. “How’s Kuchel?! Why didn't you wait for me?”

Levi ignored his questions and pushed past him, tossing his car keys onto the ground behind him and making his way towards the stairs because he didn’t want to wait for the elevator. It was too slow, and he had to get out of the hospital as quickly as possible, before he lost it and started crying like a fucking child. The entire place now felt too small for him, too hot, the smell and all the sad faces and impassive nurses he passed making his skin crawl. His heart was pounding in his chest and his eyes were wet, but he was determined not to lose it here where he’d just embarrass himself.

Where could he go, though? He’d left Kenny’s keys in the chair in the waiting room, and he wasn’t going to go back up to get them. By now he’d made it outside and was slumped against the wall, taking in deep breaths of fresh air and trying to calm himself down. He was utterly at a lost for what to do, and far too upset to think rationally. Without anyone else to help him, he called the only person he could think of: Erwin.

_“Levi?”_ Erwin answered on the third ring, a small note of concern in his voice. _“Shouldn’t you be in your exam right now?”_

“Are you at work?” Levi asked immediately, ignoring the question about his exam because although he’d forgotten, he could only have a near-panic attack over so many things at once.

_“Yes. What’s wrong?”_

Levi bit his lip, pausing for a moment while he stared at the ground. If he went through with this conversation, he would have to tell Erwin everything. He still hadn’t mentioned his mother’s illness to him because he’d decided not to until he knew that Erwin was going to be a permanent fixture in his life, and obviously, he didn’t yet have an answer to that question. Right then though, he didn’t care anymore. He didn’t want to be alone.

“I’m at the hospital.” He said, speaking again quickly after that before Erwin started thinking he was hurt. “It’s my mom.”

_“Your mom? What happened? Do you want me to come up there?”_

“No. I want to leave. I need to go somewhere else. Can we go to your apartment?”

There was a pause on the other line, and Levi hoped he wasn’t overstepping by asking Erwin to leave work. He’d gathered that his job was sort of lenient about that kind of thing, but he didn’t want to inconvenience him or anything like that, even now. But Erwin didn’t seem to be thinking about that at all, because a half-second later and he was saying _“yes, of course”_ in a tone that was heavily laced with worry and concern.

In the background, Levi even heard noises that sounded like Erwin getting up out of his chair and opening a door, as if he was already leaving his office to meet him there.

_“Do you need me to pick you up?”_ He asked next, causing Levi to look out towards the bus stop.

He couldn't take Kenny’s car again but he didn’t know the schedule of the bus in this area, and he didn’t want to sit on one anyway with a crowd of other people when every time he remembered that his mother hadn’t recognized him he felt on the brink of tears. There was a cab parked a few yards down from him; that would be fast, but Levi didn’t know how much it would cost. Weren’t cabs expensive?

_“I can call you a cab, if you’d rather-”_ Erwin said then, prompted by Levi’s silence and practically reading his mind.

“There’s one right here.”

_“Alright. Get in. I’ll meet you at my place and pay him for you, okay?”_

“Okay.” Levi said, far too upset right then to protest or to feel guilty about Erwin paying for his cab.

He’d worry about that later, too. Hopping in, he ended his call with Erwin and gave the cabbie his address, settling down in the backseat and trying not to think about what had just happened. Unfortunately, that was impossible, because it was practically the _only_ thing he could think about, and the scene with his mother replayed over and over again in his mind on the ride to Erwin’s apartment, the confusion in Kuchel’s face when she’d looked at him, the fear and concern in her voice when she’d denied having a son, and the absolute lack of warmth and care in her eyes that he’d been used to seeing for all 24 years of his life when she'd gazed at him.

To say that it made him feel sad was an understatement, because it was more than that. It made him feel hopeless and heartbroken, despondent and full of despair, and worst of all, alone, because his mother had been the only constant presence he’d ever had in his life. The fact that she couldn’t remember him made him feel like she was already gone, because even if he knew this episode would pass it would certainly happen again, and with more and more frequency, until Kuchel’s memories would disappear forever and she'd never recognize him at all. If Levi couldn’t handle this now, he thought, how was he supposed to deal with it in the future?

Alone with his thoughts in the cab, Levi had worked himself up again so much that he was holding back tears again by the time he got to Erwin's, somehow managing to not let them fall until after Erwin paid the driver and led Levi into his apartment, unlocking the door for them both and turning to face him.

By then, Levi was sniffling, despite just the sight of Erwin making him feel the first real sense of relief he’d had all day. At that moment he represented comfort, and that was something that Levi was desperately in need of even if he didn’t like admitting it to himself. Once they were alone, he couldn’t help it anymore, and no sooner had the door closed behind him than he was stepping forward into Erwin’s arms, throwing his own around him and burying his face into his chest.

Only then did he cry, tears leaking from his eyes faster than he could stop them now, his breath hitching in his chest and a painful lump forming in his throat that threatened to turn into a sob. He shook with the effort that it took to hold it back, shivering against Erwin who had embraced him and was now rubbing at his back and shoulders gently in an attempt to soothe. They stayed like that for a few minutes while Levi let his hurt and frustration wet Erwin’s shirt, until he felt a little better and began to pull back.

“Levi, sit down.” Erwin said then, guiding him to the nearby couch so he could cup his face, lifting it and pausing to carefully wipe his tears away with his thumbs. “Tell me what happened. Is your mother alright? Are you?”

Levi nodded, eyes prickling again at the mere mention of her, and bit his lip anxiously. “She had a stroke. It wasn’t a bad one, but…”

He trailed off then, looking up into Erwin’s concerned face, at the deep ridges of his brows and at his lips that were pulled into a tight frown. He was waiting for him to explain, and was worried about him - that much was obvious. Levi couldn’t put it off any longer. Taking a deep breath, he slid to the side to curl against Erwin’s bulk and inside his big arms, resting his head on his chest again before speaking.

“She has Alzheimer’s.” He mumbled, another tear escaping the corner of one eye as he recalled the memory of what had happened again. “She didn’t recognize me at the hospital.”

At that, Levi found himself being pushed away, enough so that Erwin could look down at him in surprise. There was more of it written on his face than Levi had ever seen, his lips parted in shock at what Levi had just told him. It was like Erwin needed to see his expression to believe that he’d heard him right, but he only took one look at it before he was pulling him back in for another tight hug, burying his fingers in his hair to cup the back of his head and wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

“I’m very sorry.” He said while Levi sat there, unable to make himself let go of Erwin even though he was starting to feel a little embarrassed about crying.

He felt calmer now after telling him, as if a huge weight had been taken off his shoulders, especially since Erwin hadn’t run screaming or reacted like it bothered him. The day’s events in general were still upsetting, but now, at least it was clear that Erwin was going to handle this well.

“I’m sorry, Levi.” He said again, stroking his hair and holding him carefully. “I take it that it's the first time this has happened?”

“Yeah.” Levi said.

He pulled away as Erwin wiped at his cheeks again, a pained expression crossing his face as he looked at him.

“I didn't know. I’m sorry.” Erwin said, his voice full of regret. “I wish I had, I would have-”

“I didn’t tell you.”

“Why?”

At that, Levi shrugged, pausing for a moment because he was not sure how to tell Erwin the reason. He hadn’t intended on having this conversation today, but, well, he’d already told him about his mother. Was there any point in continuing to hold everything else back?

“You aren’t my boyfriend.” Levi said simply, looking at anywhere but Erwin, suddenly full of fear that even after all of this, Erwin was going to reject him. “I didn’t know if you’d care, or wanna deal with this shit. I didn’t think there was a point since we weren’t...since we’re not-”

Levi stopped because Erwin let out a laugh of all things, a short, breathy one that sounded like it was loaded with far more than amusement. Was it relief, or disbelief? He couldn’t tell, and looking up at him in confusion at the sound of it, Levi frowned, opening his mouth to ask Erwin what the fuck he was laughing at, only to close it again when Erwin spoke before he could.

“I’m sorry.” Erwin said, apologizing for his laughter. “It’s just, I want to be. Your boyfriend, I mean. I want to be with you, Levi, I-”

At that, Erwin cut himself off, swallowing in what might have been a hint of nervousness before he held Levi’s face in his hands again. “I suppose this is a horrible time to talk about this, but I’ve been wanting to ask.”

“Then why didn’t you? Before?” Levi blurted, giving Erwin a wide-eyed look.

At his words, he’d froze, his heart skipping a beat in his chest and an uplifting, happy feeling going through him. It was the first time he'd felt like that all day, but he almost couldn’t believe it, that Erwin had just said he wanted to be his boyfriend. It had been long enough that he’d started to give up hope that they were going to become a real couple, but now, on this day of all fucking days, Levi was finally receiving confirmation that Erwin wanted him in his life.

“You’re young. I thought you might want to take it slow, and that you might not want to be with someone as old as me in the end. I thought perhaps you might not be sure, and wouldn’t want to rush into anything, especially with how this started. And then your exam came up, and I didn’t want to distract you from that, either.”

“My exam.” Levi said then, remembering once again that he had missed it.

After all of his days of cramming, of studying and worrying and _busting his ass_ , he hadn’t made it to the exam. There was nothing to be done about it and there wasn’t even a question that he’d made the right decision to miss it - his mother had been hospitalized because of a stroke, for fuck’s sake - but Mr. Dawk wasn’t nice and Levi didn’t know if he’d understand. Would he let him retake it? Was that even allowed? Levi didn’t know, and if he failed this exam he would surely fail the class. That would mess up his whole GPA and possibly his funding, and what would he do then? The whole reason he was going to college like this was for his mother; she needed him, and-

Suddenly, thinking about this, Levi began to feel overwhelmed again, and practically collapsed against the back of the couch. He put his head into his hands and squeezed his eyes shut, struggling not to cry again because at that point, he was emotionally spent and could hardly control his reactions anymore. But Erwin was there, right next to him, and as soon as Levi showed the first signs of panic he’d peeled his hands away from his face and grabbed it with one palm, forcing Levi to look at him so that he would perhaps have something else to focus on.

“Don’t worry about your exam, Levi. It’ll be okay. Surely your professor will understand, and if he doesn’t, I’m here. I’ll take care of you, alright?” He said, speaking calmly and looking Levi in the eye. He paused for a moment, blinking once after Levi gradually calmed again, and then rested his forehead against his own. “You are saying that you want that, aren’t you?”

Immediately, Levi nodded, because of course he did, more than anything. He wanted to be with Erwin, wanted to share everything with him and wanted to see him all the time and only him. He’d known he’d wanted that for weeks, and the fact that Erwin did too was, as far as he was concerned, the only bright spot in what had been a truly awful day. Thinking about it though, he couldn’t believe that Erwin had seemingly held back on asking him because he’d thought Levi gave a shit about their age difference.

It was ironic because Levi had thought the same kinds of things at first, wondering why someone like Erwin would want to bother with a kid like him, but the fact that Erwin had felt self-conscious about it too was almost as endearing as it was amusing. All along, Erwin had experienced the very same doubts as Levi had, and if Levi wasn’t so happy and relieved that they’d finally talked about this and it had worked out favorably, he might have been frustrated because of how silly it all was.

They’d wasted time, but it didn’t matter now. Erwin was right here in front of him, and he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Yeah.” Levi said again, his voice hitching a bit and sounding watery. “I do, Erwin.”

Suddenly filled with warmth and relief as it sunk in, he leaned forward, throwing his arms around Erwin to press their lips together. Erwin kissed him back, gently but eagerly, holding his face so tightly between his hands that it seemed like he didn’t want to let him go. They stayed like that for a few moments and then Levi pulled away, practically climbing into Erwin’s lap so he could hug him properly, lying his head on his shoulder too while he held him tight. They were silent, as if they were both soaking everything in, reveling in the warmth and happiness that came with their newfound and best of all, _certain_ closeness.

Then, though, Erwin lifted his head to give Levi a smile, a sad one that didn’t quite meet his eyes. He brushed his hair back and Levi knew why he was looking at him like that, because although one matter had been resolved, there was still something that hadn’t that he was going to have to deal with: his mother.

He felt bad about leaving the hospital now, but he’d been so upset and overwhelmed that he had hardly been able to help it. Levi didn’t blame Kuchel for what had happened, of course, and now he began to think that even if she didn’t recognize him, that certainly didn’t mean she didn’t need him. She was still his mother; she would _always_ be his mother even if she didn’t remember him as her son, and fleeing like that had been the wrong thing to do even if he'd been upset.

Levi relayed this to Erwin after he asked him if he could tell him the whole story, assuring him again that he wanted to help, if he could. They’d sat at his kitchen table with two cups of tea that Erwin made for them after Levi had agreed, and there he finally told him everything, starting with when Kuchel had begun to forget things and then when she’d been diagnosed, and how she’d gotten progressively worse from that point on and he’d eventually had to move her into an assisted living facility.

Erwin was sympathetic and comforting the entire time, holding Levi’s hand across the table and nodding when he explained to him that his mother was the reason he was always unavailable on Wednesdays. After that he began to tell him about his uncle too, because Kenny was a part of this whether he liked it or not. He told Erwin about how he didn’t trust him and about the things he’d done in the past, and about how his involvement made him have to worry about shit that he didn’t have to previously, like Kenny being alone with her or messing something up - even _if_ Hange had assured him that so far, Kenny had been nothing but helpful.

Next he told him about what Hange had said to him, about why Kenny was likely there in the first place: because his mother had called him so Levi could have help. There was also the fact that she felt like she was a burden on him and how he still hadn't addressed it with her, because even after this long he hadn't been able to figure out if he should. Or, he thought then, if he could actually handle it.

“I shouldn’t have left her there.” Levi said after he'd finished explaining everything to Erwin, thinking about how his mother was alone and confused and stuck with his stupid uncle in the hospital. “That’s not going to make her feel less fucking guilty, if she remembers.”

Erwin kept his eyes on him while he spoke, his hand a warm weight over Levi’s while he listened, speaking a few moments later once he’d finished after going quiet for a moment as if to consider his words.

“You’ve been through a lot, Levi.” He said, a touch of solemnity to his voice. “And I don’t think you should feel guilty for leaving. Your mother is safe in the hospital with her nurse, and considering that you’ve done almost everything on your own, I think it’s understandable that you got overwhelmed. People can only handle so much, although I have to admit, you’ve done a lot better than I’ve done with that sort of thing. I know you didn’t have a choice, but you don’t have to keep going by yourself, alright? You aren’t alone. I want to be there for you. I care about you very much, and I want to support you and help you however I can. If you’ll let me, that is.”

At his words, Levi nodded, swallowing down the pit of emotion that erupted in his chest again while he listened to it all. Erwin had spoken very slowly without being condescending, sounding so sure about everything that Levi couldn’t help but wonder if he’d experienced something like this before. It was just a stray thought - amplified by his admission that Levi handled it better than he’d done - but the way Erwin spoke made Levi feel like he knew what he was talking about, or like someone had at least told _him_ all of this before.

How else would he know what to say like that? Levi wondered, because he felt a lot more reassured and less guilty after listening to Erwin talk. He supposed he was right, and although he wanted to ask where this had all come from he wasn’t sure how, and he supposed it could also just be chalked up to the fact that Erwin was older and wiser than him.

Regardless, it still made him feel happy and comforted and awed that Erwin was offering to help and support him like that, when the day before the most serious thing Levi had confided in him about was his stupid exam. That seemed meaningless in comparison to this, but he was grateful and full of relief to have someone that he could talk to about it from now on - someone who apparently, knew how to handle it better than he did and that he could trust.

“If you want to go back to the hospital, I can go with you.” Erwin offered then, smiling at Levi when he nodded. “I don’t have to meet her if you don’t want me to, but I can wait outside. If you don’t want to go back just yet, that’s fine too, though.”

Levi bit his lip at that, thinking. He did want to go back even though he didn’t know what he was going to find: his mother, or someone who didn’t even know who she was, in a way. It wasn’t that bad yet, but Levi was a pretty big part of her life, and she had just completely forgotten about all of it. It hurt to think about and it probably always would, but he couldn’t stay away because of it. And besides, the thought of Erwin going with him actually made him feel a bit better, because even if he wasn’t in the room when he saw her again at least Levi would know he was there.

“Don’t you need to go back to work?” Levi asked though, remembering that it was the middle of the day during the week and Erwin had left his job to meet him there.

“No.” Erwin answered, chuckling before he rose to put their empty teacups in the dishwasher. “I wasn’t doing anything terribly important when you called. Not today, anyway. It can wait.”

“Okay.” Levi said, rising too and moving to go find where he’d taken off his shoes.

Before he did though, he stopped, walking over instead to wrap his arms around Erwin again. Erwin embraced him back immediately, humming as if in contentment and bending to give Levi a quick kiss on the cheek, and then on his lips when he turned his head to meet him.

“I don’t mind if you meet her.” Levi said, remembering the first time he’d told Kuchel about Erwin. Since then, she had asked Levi about him nearly every time they saw each other, delighted to hear about whatever meager details Levi provided her about his fledgling relationship. She’d even told him she was glad he was dating someone, and Levi had no doubt that she would be beyond elated to meet Erwin - if she was in her right mind, anyway. “She’ll probably shit herself from excitement.”

At that, Erwin laughed, a smile on his face that he pressed into Levi’s neck before kissing him there. “I’ll just follow your lead, how’s that?”

“Yeah, okay. Uh, Kenny will be there.” Levi said, as if he’d suddenly just remembered it.

He didn’t mind Erwin meeting his mother like he’d said, but his uncle was a different story. He was hard to predict, and there was a great chance that he would either embarrass Levi, be an asshole to Erwin, or both. Regardless of which it was, it seemed that Levi was destined to end up pissed off, and he didn’t want Erwin to have to deal with him either if he didn’t want to.

Unsurprisingly at this point though, Erwin was not deterred, and told Levi he was confident he could handle him when he'd been assigned all kinds of clients at work who were actual convicted criminals. Levi didn't think it was the same thing considering those criminals weren't a part of Levi's family, and his Uncle Kenny - who he was pretty sure was an actual criminal or had been at some point - was.

Whatever though, he’d deal with it. Maybe Kenny would end up behaving himself anyway - he'd called Levi by his name at the hospital instead of 'shrimp' or 'midget' or anything else like that, which meant that perhaps, for once, he was taking things seriously because of what had happened to his sister.

It seemed that way once they got back to the hospital too, after a ride in Erwin's car with their hands entwined between the seats as usual. This time it felt a bit different though, more meaningful, as Levi could finally be absolutely certain _why_ Erwin was holding his hand so tightly and occasionally bringing it to his lips for kisses. By the time they got there Levi was the calmest he'd felt since before he'd found out what happened, even after talking to Hange on the phone while they were on their way.

He’d called to let them know he was coming back and to mumble an apology for leaving - to which Hange told him not to worry, of course - and to hopefully get some insight on what he would expect once he got back there.  

_"She's better now."_ Hange told him. _"She snapped out of it not long after you left. Kenny helped! In fact, he wouldn't give up until she remembered you. He showed her pictures of you on his phone and told her stories about you, and once the drugs wore off a bit, her memory came back. I think that had a lot to do with it in this case."_

Levi bit his lip, a bit taken aback that his uncle had gone to such lengths to do that.

"So, she just forgot me because she was stoned?" He asked though, unable to stop himself from voicing the question because he hoped that it would assuage some of the fears he had about this already becoming a permanent thing.

_"I believe so. Right now, anyway. The doctor said her scans didn’t show that the damage from her Alzheimer’s was any worse. She was out of it from the medication like I told you, but you know-"_

"Yeah." Levi said, clenching his jaw. "I know."

Hange had been about to remind him that one day, she _would_ be like this all the time, which of course he hadn't forgotten. He'd tensed up thinking about it, but only momentarily, because beside him Erwin had seemed to sense it and squeezed his hand. It was just a single, gentle touch, but it was enough to get Levi to relax again.

"Uh." He started again, swallowing when something else potentially upsetting occurred to him. "Does she know what happened?"

"Yeah." Hange answered, their voice going a bit softer. “Once she became more lucid, she asked where you were. Kenny had said you’d been there but she didn’t remember, but she knew she’d been looking at pictures. She kind of figured it out from that.”

They didn’t say anything else, and Levi didn't have to ask to know that his mother was probably upset. She likely felt terrible, guilty for her memory lapse and even worse that Levi had run away because of it. As far as he was concerned, his reaction was on him, but he knew Kuchel would not see it that way. Sighing, he knew that this wasn't going to be easy - ironic, because he hadn’t considered that it could possibly be any worse than if his mother still didn’t remember him.

“This is just going to make her feel like she’s even more of a burden, or whatever.” Levi mumbled to Erwin after he’d hung up the phone, once they’d arrive at the hospital and had climbed out of the car.

“She’s your mother.” Erwin said gently, placing a comforting hand at the small of his back. “And it sounds like she cares about you a great deal. Even now she just wants what’s best for you. I don’t think she can help but feel that way.”

Levi frowned, letting Erwin cup the back of his head with his fingers and kiss his cheek once more before they started heading inside. “I know. But what the fuck does she want me to do, abandon her?”

“No, of course not. She just wants you to enjoy yourself while you’re young. I understand that, too.”

At that, Levi almost laughed, because even though Erwin was older than him, he wasn’t _that_ old, not really. Not in comparison to his mother and uncle anyway, but sometimes he sure fucking acted like it.

“You sound like such an old man sometimes.” Levi said, teasing him as they entered the hospital.

Erwin frowned but didn’t have time to play up the pity card like he usually did when Levi messed with him about his age, because now that they were inside he was following Levi’s lead, and on the way up to his mother’s floor he decided that letting Kuchel meet Erwin was a good idea. It would hopefully cheer her up like he suspected it would, especially since by dating someone, he was ‘enjoying himself while he was young’ like she wanted for him.

Enjoying himself was an understatement, he thought idly, leaning back against Erwin in the elevator. The past two months or so had been some of the happiest of Levi’s life, even with everything going on with his family, and the fact that it wasn’t theoretically going to end anytime soon made him that much happier.

“I’ll wait outside.” Erwin murmured to him when the elevator door stopped, taking his hand to give it one last squeeze before they stepped out.

“Okay.” Levi said, biting his lip as they neared his mother’s door. It was closed, but inside he could hear voices - Hange and his uncle, and Kuchel’s softer, tired sounding tone. “Actually, I think after a minute, you should just come in. It’ll cheer her up.”

Erwin smiled like he understood why and nodded, adjusting his tie and running a hand through his hair much to Levi’s amusement. He was straightening himself up for his mother, and watching him, he found the sight incredibly endearing. The affection must have shown on his face because Erwin bent to kiss him quickly, and then stood back up before having a seat in the nearby waiting area.

“I’ll be right there.” He said, and Levi nodded, swallowing once before knocking on the door.

He waited a second before moving, wondering if he should just go in, but then he heard footsteps and a moment later Hange answered.

“Levi is here!” They announced with cheerfulness that Levi could not fathom having at that moment, and stepped aside so that he could enter.

Immediately, he saw his mother, sitting fully upright in bed this time and now with the oxygen tubes removed. She only had a heart monitor attached to her finger, and definitely looked a lot more awake than she had only a few hours ago. Her face was free of confusion and although she looked exhausted and sick and older than Levi had ever thought she could look, she obviously knew who he was.

Not that he hadn’t believed Hange, but it was relieving to see. Still, he wasn’t entirely sure what to do or say considering that she knew what had happened, and for a moment he just stood there in silence, aware of his uncle’s eyes on them both. Kuchel was staring too, and for a split second Levi thought she looked worried, but then she smiled tentatively, patting the mattress beside her with her hand in a gesture of invitation for Levi to come over.

That was all it took for him to do so, stepping forward so he could walk across the room to approach her bed. Then she was holding out her arms and he was hugging her, suddenly feeling desperate for his mother’s embrace in a way he had not felt in years, leaning over the bed to wrap his arms around her shoulders and to press his face into her chest. It was almost like he'd done to Erwin earlier, and she squeezed him tight just as he had too, cradling his shoulders and the back of his neck with her arms and hands and tucking his head underneath her chin gently.

“I’m sorry.” She said then, her voice quiet and wavery as she pressed a kiss into his hair. “I’m so sorry, Levi, I’m-”

“It’s not your fault. It doesn’t matter.” Levi answered, interrupting her because he couldn’t even bear to hear her say that, and far too overwhelmed to even worry about the other two people in the room seeing him like this. He wasn’t embarrassed, not right then, and even if he was, he would never, ever stop Kuchel from what she was doing. This was likely comforting her as much as it was him, and he let her stroke his hair and hold him against her chest like she used to do when he’d gotten hurt as a child, keeping his own arms locked as tightly around her as he could manage in his half bent over position. “I’m okay, mom.”

Levi tried to assure her as best he could, but even though he wasn’t lying - he _was_ okay, now - it didn’t seem to soothe her very much. She remained tense, and other than that Levi didn’t know what to do at all other than to just let her hold him, and after a few moments he began to fear that she was going to stay upset when he realized that she had started crying.

“Mom.” He started, his own voice sounding a bit strained as tears stung the corners of his eyes too, before he clenched his jaw and forced himself to swallow them down. He could not cry here, he told himself, not now - he had to be strong for Kuchel. “It’s okay mom, I said I’m fine.”

Luckily, after that she pulled away and wiped her eyes, sniffling a few times before smiling again softly. Then she smoothed back Levi’s hair once more and sighed, and took his hand between both her own before speaking.

“I believe you.” She said. “You’ve grown into such a strong man. I’m so proud of you.”

As she spoke, her voice nearly hitched again, and Levi’s eyes widened. Where was this coming from? He didn’t know, but he hadn’t expected her to get so sentimental for no reason, and it was making it that much more difficult for him to hold back his welling tears. Her words made him feel both happy and sad at the same time, because although his mother’s praise was gratifying, he got the sense that she felt like she needed to say it now before she couldn’t anymore.

After swallowing and wiping away more stray tears, she continued, basically confirming Levi’s suspicions and causing a painful pit to open up in his stomach.

“No matter what happens you’ll always be my son, alright Levi? Even if I can’t remember, it won’t change that. I love you so much.”

“I know.” Levi said, resisting the urge to squeeze his eyes shut or to tell her to stop saying this shit, this wasn’t goodbye or anything like that, what was she doing? Acting harsh with her was the last thing he wanted to do even if her words were painful to him, but it was obvious that she felt like she needed to say them. So he let her, and let her draw him back toward her for one more hug, muttering into her chest while she kissed his head and then rested her cheek on top of it. “I love you too, mom.”

Standing there in her arms, he felt very small, but the feeling abruptly changed into nervousness when he realized that Erwin was looking into the doorway. He was standing there because Hange had left it open, and Levi flushed and jerked out of her grip when he saw him out of the corner of his eye. Of course, that got Kuchel’s attention, and when she saw him, she let go of Levi immediately.

“Oh.” She said, giving him a strange look. “Are you a doctor? Hange?”

At that, Hange looked over, but before they could say anything Levi answered her question himself.

“No, mom. This is, uh-” He started, biting his lip as his face grew hotter. Fuck, he hadn’t thought he would be embarrassed about this by now, but it seemed all he’d been through that day was getting to him. Huffing after another second though, he straightened up, cursing once more before he caught Erwin’s eye and started again. “This is Erwin. My boyfriend.”

Levi stared at Erwin when he said it, unable to stop his eyes from widening because he was still reveling in the new feelings from getting to say that, the endearment making him feel buoyant with happiness. and Erwin took that as his cue to enter the room.

“Hello.” Erwin said to Kuchel, taking Levi’s introduction as his cue to enter the room. He walked over next to him at the side of her bed, holding out his hand for a handshake. She looked amazed and practically gaped at Erwin for a moment, and when she extended her palm Erwin shook it gently. Then he bent and kissed her on the cheek politely, and Levi would have rolled his eyes if he didn’t know his mother wasn’t enjoying it so much. “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”

_Ma’am._ Levi thought, somehow managing to hold back a snort. Erwin had only been in here 30 fucking seconds and he was already laying it on thick, but it was obvious by Kuchel’s very wide smile that she was eating it up. If he hadn’t been so distracted and even a little nervous, he might have realized that it was just a different, less flirtatious version of how Erwin had charmed him, right down to the way his mother reacted by falling for it immediately.

The only difference was she didn’t attempt to hide it, not really, and instead laughed. It was a high-pitched sort of laugh, one that if Levi didn’t know better, he might actually call a giggle. What the fuck? Was Erwin making his mother flustered? If he was it wouldn’t make Levi angry, but he was starting to think the bastard was too handsome for his own damn good. That wasn’t it though, he realized after a moment, his mother had just been caught off guard and was perhaps suddenly a bit nervous too - probably because she didn’t want to embarrass Levi, if the way she kept glancing to him to make sure he was alright said anything.

“Its nice to meet you too.” Kuchel said a moment later, swallowing in a way that Levi knew meant she was trying to get a hold of herself. “I wish we didn’t have to meet here in such a bad place, but I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Oh? Really?” Erwin responded, a hint of amusement behind his voice that Levi knew all too well by now.

He was smiling also, Levi saw from the corner of his eye, and he braced himself when Erwin put an arm around his shoulders, suddenly frozen with fear about the high potential for mortification in this situation.

“Yeah, Levi talks about you all the time. He tells me that you’re a lawyer?”

“Yes ma’am. I work at the public defender’s office.”

“That’s nice. If you ever run out of work, I’m sure my brother could give you some. He’s always in need of a criminal attorney.”

At that, Levi did snort, looking over his shoulder at where Kenny was seated on a couch. Hange was beside him, and they’d both been quiet ever since Levi had gotten there. From Hange that was fairly normal - they were always respectful when Levi was with his mother - but from Kenny, it was kind of strange. He’d thought that by now he’d have made some shitty remark to Erwin, and although the stink eye he was giving him suggested that he wanted to, could it be that he was actually managing to hold his tongue for once?

Levi raised an eyebrow at him but Kenny didn’t notice, too busy rolling his eyes at Kuchel’s comment. Erwin laughed politely, and then looked behind him at Kenny too, and for a second Levi was so tense that he felt like he could snap. Erwin didn’t even hesitate in walking over to him though, holding out his palm for a handshake.

“I’m Erwin.” He said, smiling at Kenny in a friendly manner.

Kenny didn’t stand up. He looked at Erwin’s hand and then behind him at Levi, and then at Kuchel. After that, he sighed and then slowly took Erwin’s hand.

“So you’re the guy with the fancy car?” He said, chewing on the toothpick that was in his mouth. “I’m Levi’s Uncle Kenny.”

“I would hardly call a Buick fancy, but I guess that’s me. I would’ve introduced myself to you sooner, but Levi was afraid to let me out of the car.”

“Can’t imagine why. I’m a perfectly nice guy. Just ask Hange here. I sure wish shrimp would’ve brought you in though, ‘cause it would’ve been nice to have someone who’d buy us some real food around here.”

“Well, I don’t actually buy Levi much food. He feeds me more often than not. I just supply the ingredients.”

Beside Levi, Kuchel took his hand when she heard that, giving it a squeeze. When he looked over at her, she was practically beaming, and Levi knew it was because she caught Erwin’s hint that Levi often cooked for him. However badly her mind had slipped before, Levi thought, it was certainly functioning perfectly right now.

He was grateful, because it also meant that Erwin’s introduction was going well. That was important for Levi, he had to admit, but somehow he knew that it was just as important for Kuchel too.

While she was happy at Erwin’s statement, Kenny, on the other hand, had thrown his hands up into the air in a wild exclamation.

“What?! You’re tellin’ me he cooks for you but he won’t cook for me?”

“I can’t speak for what he does at home, but, yes, he cooks for me. Quite a lot, in fact.” Erwin was wearing a small smile as he looked over at Levi at that, amusement clear in his bright blue eyes. “I’m especially fond of his spaghetti.”

Just like that, whatever tension Levi had felt melted away, and everything from that point on went smoothly. After Erwin introduced himself to Hange, Kuchel asked Erwin lots of questions about himself and they made small talk for nearly twenty minutes, until her hospital nurse came in and suggested that she needed to get some rest.

"Bye, mom." Levi told her, relenting and leaning in for another hug, pausing before he pulled away when he remembered her words earlier. "I love you."

"I love you too." Kuchel said immediately, smiling warmly at him before looking to Erwin. "And I'm glad you finally let me meet Erwin. I hope if I thank him for being there for you when I couldn’t be it won't scare him off."

At that Erwin smiled back at her, taking Levi's hand gently while he clenched his jaw and looked up at the ceiling. "Of course not. It was nice to meet you too, Ms. Ackerman. I hope if I thank you for raising such an exceptional man it won’t scare him off either."

Like before, Kuchel could not contain her strange, giggle-like laugh, and Levi could not stop his fucking cheeks from turning bright red. Was Erwin talking about him? He had to be, but Levi was 24 and hardly felt like a man when half the time he could barely keep his shit together. Still, his mother seemed to agree for whatever reason, because she nodded and glanced at Levi, and then threw him a quick wink.

“I don’t think it will.” She said to Erwin, ignoring Levi’s scowl.

It was only because he was growing more embarrassed and flustered by the second at Erwin’s comments, all of them laced with open affection, and a little frustrated by the fact that his mother certainly knew that but for some reason still insisted on making it that much worse.

“Good.” Erwin said. He squeezed Levi’s hand. “I have to admit, I’ve grown rather fond of him.”

By then, Levi could not take it anymore.

“Hey! I’m right fucking here.” He ground out from behind clenched teeth, somehow mustering a glare through the stupid fluttering in his chest.

“Sorry.” Kuchel said then, the wide smile on her face suggesting that she was anything but sorry at how they’d been discussing Levi as if he wasn’t even in the room.

Levi just rolled his eyes, and after that they left, only to barely make it halfway down the hall before they were accosted by Kenny. He had already said his goodbyes before Levi did - or so he thought - and when he saw him, he cursed. He was ready to go, and now that they were alone Kenny looked surly again, and Levi suddenly had the sneaking suspicion that he had only behaved earlier because Kuchel had been in the room.

“What?” Levi asked, sending his uncle a pre-emptive, nasty look.

“Just want to tell your sugar daddy here to make sure he treats you right.” Kenny said, much to Levi’s mixed surprise and bone-chilling horror, glaring at Erwin before he crossed his arms, leaned back against the nearby wall, and looked away. “Y’know, otherwise my sister will have my damn head.”

“Can’t you mind your fucking business for once, you bastard? He’s not my-” Levi started, only to be interrupted by Erwin who laughed.

“I wouldn’t dream of treating him any other way.” He said smoothly, placing his hands on Levi’s shoulders and speaking in a different voice than the one he’d used with Kuchel. Levi couldn’t decide whether it was vaguely threatening to Kenny or overly teasing to Levi, but then decided it must be a mixture of both. “Although I’m happy to provide him with whatever he needs, Levi has proven that he’s quite capable of taking care of himself.”

Cursing again, Levi squirmed out of Erwin’s grip immediately, heading towards the elevator and punching the down button so hard with his finger it almost hurt. He didn’t miss the taken aback look on Kenny’s face though because even if Erwin hadn’t said it, he’d basically just implied that he _was_ his fucking sugar daddy. It was a little ridiculous, and despite the fact that he wanted to be annoyed because Erwin had to know that would embarrass, he couldn’t help but find it a little amusing either.

“What the fuck was that?” He muttered once Erwin joined him and they were in the elevator, leaving Kenny sulking with Hange in the hallway. “Now he’s never gonna shut up about that shit.”

“I know.” Erwin said though, while - to his credit - looking a little bit sheepish. “I couldn’t help it. I don’t want anyone to think that I wouldn’t take care of you.”

Levi blinked at that, biting his lip and feeling warmth replace whatever other emotions he’d been feeling. He was taken aback by Erwin’s answer for a second, not expecting him to say that even if it was probably the 3rd or 4th time that he had that day, and turned around from where he’d been looking at him, leaning back against him so Erwin could wrap his arms around his front. “Oh.”

“I know you’re stubborn.” Erwin said teasingly, bending to kiss the top of Levi’s head. “But I mean it. If you need something, I want you to know you can ask. Even if it’s money, okay?”

“Yeah, fine.” Levi said, nodding after swallowing.

He wanted to balk at Erwin offering him money, but he could tell that it was important to Erwin that he be able to offer him help. If Erwin hadn’t still been respecting the fact that he was capable he might roll his eyes and see it as some overprotective dominance thing, but it wasn’t like that, and he supposed Levi understood as he would certainly do the same for Erwin if he needed it, and caring for each other like that was a normal part of a relationship, right? That thought made him remember what had happened at Erwin’s apartment earlier that day, and he found himself reflecting on it, a swell of happiness and relief building up inside him all over again when he remembered what Erwin had told him: _“I want to be your boyfriend. I want to be with you, Levi.”_

Tilting his head back, Levi looked up at Erwin as he thought about it, and couldn’t stop himself from smiling - just a little. Erwin saw and kissed him on the forehead, and then bent, twisting around to kiss him on the corner of his mouth.

“Besides.” He murmured quietly. “I told you before that I wouldn’t mind being your sugar daddy.”

“Do you think you are?” Levi scoffed, winding their fingers together from where Erwin still had his arms wrapped around him.

“Maybe a little.”

“Well then, daddy, why haven’t you bought me any new panties to replace the ones you ripped? That was a long ass time ago.”

“You’re right. We’ll have to go shopping soon.”

Erwin spoke teasingly, but Levi doubted that he was joking considering how much he’d enjoyed Levi wearing the pink panties from before. Levi opened his mouth to say something else, but at that point, the elevator dinged to let them know they were on the ground floor, and they had to straighten up.

They headed into the parking lot quietly, with Levi looking over his shoulder to make sure Kenny wasn’t following them since he’d apparently developed some weird protective instincts regarding Levi, and climbed into Erwin’s car again to leave the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVE BEEN WAITING TO POST THIS CHAPTER FOR SO LONG :) Erwin meeting Kuchel was probably one of the things I was excited about the most when writing this story, lol. Thanks all for reading/commenting/leaving kudos as always, hope you enjoyed the chapter <3


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was right as Levi was thinking for the hundredth time that he couldn’t believe how lucky he’d gotten with Erwin that he saw the picture, the thing catching his eye because it was so big and because of who was in it. 
> 
> It was Erwin, standing next to a blonde woman. She was in a wedding dress and he was in a tuxedo, and it was obviously a professional photo taken of the two of them. Erwin had his arm around her and she was smiling widely, beautiful and happy and practically sparkling in her white gown.
> 
> What the fuck? Levi thought, staring at it with a sinking feeling. Was Erwin married?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think I mentioned a few chapters ago that this fic was reaching the end, and this is the last chapter except for the epilogue :) I'm a little sad about ending this, but a little excited too because this is the first long multi-chapter fic I've ever finished. I'm very grateful for everyone who has read and stuck with this story, and as always thanks for all your wonderful comments and kudos <3 the epilogue should be up soon because it's shorter. Thanks for reading!

“Where should I take you?” Erwin asked Levi once they’d buckled up in his car, placing a hand on his leg, naturally. “Have you eaten?”

Levi had not. At least, not since breakfast, and after glancing at the clock on Erwin’s dashboard he saw that it was now mid-afternoon. He was pretty fucking hungry, he realized, and although he’d been too preoccupied with everything else to think about what he was going to do for the rest of the day, eating something was probably what he should do first. 

“Not since this morning.” He answered, biting his lip and glancing over at Erwin. “Do you have to go back to work?” 

Thinking about it, he still didn’t really want to be alone, but he knew Erwin had left his office to come get him. He didn’t want to take up more of Erwin’s work time if he needed to be there or have him get in trouble with his boss if he decided to be a dick about it, and even if Erwin had said he wasn’t doing anything important that day he just wanted to make sure. 

Thankfully, though, Erwin gave him a reassuring smile and shook his head, starting his car before preparing to pull out of his parking spot. 

“No, I can catch up tomorrow, it’s alright. What would you like to eat?”

Relieved, Levi sat back in his seat, and after a short discussion they decided to just get the take-out that Levi would have rejected right on the spot any other time. He didn’t feel like cooking anything though, nor did he want to go sit inside a restaurant. Instead, he just wanted to go home - or, back to Erwin’s apartment, which he thankfully told Levi he could come back to if he wanted. He did, absolutely, and in lieu of taking Levi back to his house to get his things, Erwin proposed that they swing by a drug store so that he could buy him new toiletries, a few extra t-shirts, and a pack of underwear.

“Why don’t you just leave all of this at my apartment?” Erwin said once they were inside, following Levi around and holding a shopping basket out while he dumped deodorant, a toothbrush, shampoo, and a few other things inside. “That way you don’t have to always bring your things when you come over. I’ll give you a drawer.”

“Yeah.” Levi said, feeling lighthearted suddenly, and also a little awed that something as simple as putting his things into an empty drawer could make him feel so excited.

“This is long overdue, I think.” Erwin continued, the smallest upward curve of his lips present as he watched Levi. 

“Yeah.” Levi agreed again, for more than one reason. He was tired of lugging his shit around back and forth from Erwin’s, and also because although it had actually only been about two months, Erwin was right. It seemed like ages since they’d first met, and he’d already spent the night at Erwin’s apartment more times than he could count. Now all of a sudden, it seemed almost comical that Erwin had somehow thought Levi wasn’t interested in having a relationship with him for any reason when it had been so obvious. But then again, he’d worried about the same things, including their age different. That was amusing too though, and with that thought, Levi stopped instead of continuing down the aisle, looking over his shoulder to glance back at Erwin. “I can’t believe you didn’t ask me to go out with you because you thought you were too old. That was the whole reason why I fucked you in the first place.”

The way Erwin’s eyebrows raised in response to his statement was almost comical. “What do you mean?”

“I figured you’d know what you were doing. Guys my age are shit in bed. Also, I was looking for someone I could call daddy, remember? That automatically excludes anyone under the age of 30. And you were fucking hot in your picture.”

“I’m not sure what my looks have to do with my age.” Erwin answered, teasing him and smiling a bit wider than he had been before.

Levi frowned and his ears warmed a little, and then he turned around quickly to grab a comb. He’d gone off track by just a little, so what? He wasn’t lying; Erwin had been about 100 times more attractive than he’d ever expected from a guy searching Craigslist, and he still wondered what had possessed him to do it in the first place. After getting to know him even just a bit Levi had mused that he hadn’t seemed like the type, which Erwin had confirmed later when he’d told Levi he’d never done anything like that before. That didn’t explain why he’d suddenly decided to go on that website in the first place, though, and since they were asking questions, Levi didn’t think it would hurt to ask.

"What were you even doing on Craigslist, anyway?" He said, turning around again to face Erwin.

"I was lonely, I suppose. I wanted company." Erwin answered, shrugging. "I was also a bit drunk, and I almost cancelled the next day when I was sober again. But, like I said before, I thought you were attractive in your picture too."

Levi's eyes widened when Erwin said he almost cancelled their first meeting, because if he had, then none of this would have ever happened. Apparently Erwin was thinking along the same lines too, because after looking around to make sure they were alone on the shopping aisle, he bent to give Levi a quick kiss. 

"I'm glad I didn't though." He said, planting one more on his lips before standing up. 

"Yeah." Levi agreed just like he had before, quietly and with his mind also on how he was really,  _ really  _ glad Erwin hadn't cancelled either. "Me too."

After that, they gathered the rest of the things Levi needed and checked out at the store, and Erwin drove them both back to his apartment. They brought the items and the food in together and ate at his kitchen table, and then Erwin told Levi to follow him so he could show him where he could keep his things in the bathroom. 

"I'll empty out your drawer." He said, pulling one open towards the bottom that had a lot of women's beauty products in it. 

"Your ex?" Levi said, scowling down at the assortment of items and remembering when he'd found the bath stuff. 

"Ah, yes." Erwin said, mumbling something about how he only used one drawer and that was it. He paused for a moment while Levi looked on, wondering why the fuck he wasn't immediately pulling it all out, until Erwin swallowed and said that very thing. "Let's throw it out."

"Yeah. Let's get rid of this shit too." Levi said, walking over to the tub and scooping up some of the old, dusty bubble bath bottles from the corner.

Erwin keeping his ex's shit around because he was too lazy to get rid of it was one thing when he was single, but now he wasn't, and Levi didn't want to be reminded of Erwin's old girlfriend every time he was at his apartment. He thought that was a pretty normal request, and hoped Erwin wasn't going to argue. If he liked him as much as he said he did, he would understand, right?

Of course he would, and he did, because he nodded and went to get a trash bag. Levi unceremoniously dumped all the shit of hers he could find in Erwin's bathroom minus one bottle of rose scented bubble bath he liked, and then neatly arranged all of his items in his new drawer. Erwin watched with a fond smile on his face, and then moved to wrap his arms around Levi's waist from behind him once he was finished. 

Levi stood there when he did, leaning against him and back into the hug, placing his hands on Erwin's forearms where he was holding him. He felt Erwin’s nose against the back of his neck in a soft press that he might even call a nuzzle, and then his lips in the same spot, kissing him gently. 

“Erwin.” Levi said then, finally, in that moment of calmness, feeling like all of the day’s events had truly sunk in.

He’d basically been on an emotional roller coaster since that morning, and now it was almost 5:00. When he’d gotten the call about his mother he’d never thought it would end up with him finally, officially being in a relationship with Erwin, but he wasn’t complaining about that part. The issue with Kuchel had been hard to deal with, but it had been easier once he had told Erwin everything. He was glad that he finally knew he was willing to be there for him, and grateful that he had gone with him to the hospital. He had been able to do everything up until that point so far on his own, and knew he probably could keep going if he had to, but it was nice to not be alone as Erwin had said, and to know that he had someone he could trust to help him if he needed it.

“Hm?” Erwin said behind him while Levi paused to think, unwrapping one arm from around him to tug the collar of his shirt down so he could kiss him between his shoulder blades. 

His lips made Levi shiver, and he shifted his head to the side almost unconsciously, inviting Erwin’s mouth to his neck for more. “Thanks for coming to the hospital, or whatever.”

“You’re welcome.” Erwin murmured against the side of his throat, pressing his mouth there again and again and leaving a hot, wet trail in its wake.

“Will you come the next time I go see her?” 

“Yes.” Erwin breathed. He’d reached Levi’s jaw and paused to suck lightly in one spot, and his hand had started a slow slide downward over Levi’s stomach so his fingers could toy with the waistband of his pants. “Of course.”

“Wanna fuck?” Levi said then, because now that the important things he’d wanted to say were out of the way, he was quite sure he knew where this was going. 

“Do you?” Erwin answered, suddenly stopping his movements completely. “I’m getting carried away. I’d understand if you didn’t, after earlier.”

Levi did not respond right away - at least not verbally. Instead of speaking, he turned around in Erwin’s arms and dragged him down for a kiss, because of course he wanted to fuck. At the very least Levi had been wanting to kiss him like this all day, he thought as he wrapped his arms around Erwin’s neck tightly, standing up onto the balls of his feet to reach him, but they hadn’t really been alone or not in public since he’d calmed down. Now that he was, however, there was no reason for him to not want to do this, especially because of how happy and affectionate he felt towards him after what Erwin had asked him earlier that day.

Erwin obviously did too and got the hint, his mouth welcoming Levi’s warmly when he kissed him. It was gentle at first but the glide of their lips quickly grew as frantic as the breaths they were taking, harsh gasps and pants in between eager sweepings of their tongues and excited groping to backsides. That last part was actually just Erwin though, unsurprisingly, his hand coming to rest over Levi’s ass shortly before he pushed him back against the bathroom counter.

He squeezed once and then pulled his mouth away from Levi’s to kiss at his throat more hungrily this time, his teeth grazing the spot right above where his neck met his shoulder. Levi was sensitive there, and Erwin had by then learned that if he teased him, it wouldn’t take long for him to start squirming. This time was no different, and after Erwin sucked nearly hard enough to leave a mark and stuck his hand down the back of Levi’s pants, Levi was barely holding back a needy whine.

“Fuck me.” He said then, suddenly feeling desperate. “Erwin, please-”

He was cut off by Erwin, who covered Levi’s mouth with his own in a kiss that was searing in comparison to the ones they’d started with, his lips moving so feverishly that Levi thought Erwin might be trying to devour him. He knew what Erwin must be feeling because he felt it too, the overwhelming desire for him and the arousal he felt to be closer, and underneath that, a bubbling, almost giddy warmth and happiness that he didn’t yet know how to express in words. In the back of his mind he thought that this must be what it felt like to fall in love with someone, but Levi wasn’t sure how to say that, so right now all he could do was fist his hands into Erwin’s shirt and pull him away from the counter and backwards towards the bedroom.

Erwin had already started guiding him there after his plea anyway, and together they stumbled in that direction, Erwin dodging Levi’s arms as he pulled his shirt over his head in between kisses. He’d taken off his tie earlier so it was easy to get him undressed, and by the time they reached the bed they’d left a trail of clothing behind them and they were both in their underwear.

Immediately, Levi wrapped his legs around Erwin’s waist and his hand around Erwin’s cock, tugging it out of his boxer briefs and pressing his thumb against the tip. Erwin gasped into his mouth and rocked his hips forward, encouraging Levi to squeeze him a bit more firmly, to twist his wrist and to tug on his foreskin, pulling his hair a bit too because he knew it was a sure way to get Erwin to groan. 

It worked, and Levi echoed his noise of pleasure with one of his own, a more needy sounding one when Erwin pulled away. It was only so he could grab the lube though, returning within seconds to kiss him again, reaching down between Levi’s legs to tug his underwear down far enough for him to pop open the cap, wet his fingers, and slide the tips of two of them inside Levi’s ass all in a single, smooth motion. Erwin knew he could handle more than one to start with, and did it all while still licking into Levi’s mouth until he broke away to tip his head back.

“I think that was a new fucking record.” He said, gasping the words as he squirmed down onto Erwin’s fingers. 

Erwin was holding them still and letting him move for the most part, only scissoring them slightly every so often to stretch him open. They’d figured out that this was the most efficient way when they were in a hurry - which they decidedly were - and when Erwin wasn’t intent on teasing him just because he wanted to watch. At Levi’s words, he chuckled lightly, his warm breath ghosting across the skin of his chest where Erwin was now pressing kisses.

“I’ve had plenty of practice.” He said, the curve of his lips evident against Levi's skin. 

They were talking about how fast Erwin had gone from grabbing the lube from his nightstand to putting his fingers in Levi’s ass, a skill he’d gotten a lot swifter at over the past few weeks. Not that he'd been slow before, but the ease with which he did it was obvious. Everything they did here was like that now; they'd never been awkward together, not even at the beginning, but now everything was familiar, seamless, and relaxed.

It showed in the way Erwin opened Levi up with ease, and how Levi shifted to match his movements immediately, almost as if he knew what he was going to do before he even did it. That was how it seemed, at least, until Erwin had him open and loose with three of his fingers and grabbed at his thigh in a way that indicated he wanted him to flip over.

He did just that, getting on his hands and knees and propping himself up, flushed and sweaty and nearly whining with need by then, but found himself surprised when Erwin crawled up next to him and tugged him down onto his side. He wrapped an arm around him and pulled him back against his chest, and then pushed one of Levi’s thighs up so he could slide his cock into him that way.

Levi let out a loud moan at the sensation, an unrestrained noise that he hadn't meant to make. Erwin was  _ spooning _ him though, he realized, holding him against his chest and inside his warm embrace, his knees tucked up underneath Levi’s and his face buried into the back of his neck. He could feel his breath there and his lips brushing over his skin, and Levi’s mouth dropped open in another silent sound of pleasure, momentarily caught off guard by something he’d never experienced before. 

He’d never fucked like this, not in his whole life, never been held so completely by someone and wrapped up in their arms while they moved inside him. It was like a combination of the intimacy of waking up in the morning with Erwin enveloped around him like this and the level of closeness that could only be experienced through sex, and by the time Erwin was lodged inside him to the hilt, Levi did not think he was going to last long.

Still, Erwin helped by going slow even though before their pace had been bordering on frantic, seeking out both his hands with his own and interlocking their fingers together while he thrusted into him, kissing at the back of his neck, at his shoulders and in his hair and on the edge of his open jaw while Levi moved back against him. The only sounds in the room were the soft noises coming from Levi’s throat and of their heavy breathing, punctuated by the creaking of the mattress when Erwin occasionally jerked his hips up a little harder. 

It felt so good that Levi squeezed his eyes shut before he was close to coming, concentrating only on the hot heat of Erwin’s cock sliding in and out of his ass, on the pleasure building tight in his belly and on the feel of Erwin holding him in his arms. It was enough for him to become lost in it, and they stayed just like that the entire time, with the exception of Erwin shifting to jerk him off once he grew more high-pitched and close to release. 

That took him over the edge quickly, and Erwin followed right behind him, groaning in Levi’s ear and gradually slowing his thrusts as he came too, filling Levi up with sticky warmth. When the intense sensations left them both, they laid like that for a while, breathing evenly together until Erwin shifted to press a gentle kiss to Levi’s shoulder. 

They hadn’t said anything the entire time they’d fucked because they hadn’t had to, but now, when Levi twisted to glance at Erwin, he looked like he wanted to speak. It took him a minute, but when he did, his words made Levi’s heart catch in his throat.

“I care about you a lot, Levi.” He murmured in an assured voice, his brows drawn down tightly and a deep frown on his face as if to relay how serious he was about what he was saying. His expression softened a moment later though after a brief pause, melting into fondness as he looked Levi in the eye and brushed the backs of his fingers across his cheek. Briefly, he paused, and the bob of his throat was visible as he swallowed before speaking again. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

For a second, Levi thought his heart was going to stop, and was unable to keep the surprise off of his face. His eyes went wide and his lips parted, and although he knew right then that he felt the same - it’s what he’d been contemplating earlier, after all - his throat was too tight for him to immediately blurt it out. It was probably for that reason that Erwin seemed to suddenly think he’d said something wrong, because he swallowed again, this time noisily, and hastily searched Levi’s expression with his eyes before pulling his hand away. Levi grabbed it again before he could backtrack though, placing on his cheek where it had been before, finding his voice even though his face was burning and scarlet. 

“Yeah.” He breathed, turning his head to kiss Erwin’s palm. “Me too, Erwin.”

Erwin smiled at that, a quiet laugh leaving his throat in a puff of breath like he was exhaling in relief, and then he dipped down to give Levi a kiss, his lips warm and gentle and lazy in their movements. They lingered, and the two of them stayed like that for a while, just lying in Erwin’s bed and kissing. It was nice, Levi thought, after all the shit that had happened that day to just be able to relax, and he didn’t even feel inclined to get up to take a shower even though he was sticky with dried sweat and was lying in a wet spot from his come. 

Erwin seemed to feel the same sentiments, because even after making a comment about getting up, he continued to lie there for what must have been fifteen more minutes, holding Levi against his chest after he twisted around to face Erwin and threw an arm and a leg over him.

“Can I stay here tomorrow? While you’re gone?” Levi asked eventually, because he did not want to go back to his empty house even though he knew Erwin had to work. 

There was something warm and comforting about being at Erwin’s place even while he wasn’t there he’d learned, as he’d stayed before once or twice over the past month while Erwin had run an errand or something. He hoped he hadn’t overstepped anything in asking if he could stay for the entire day, but by now, he was fairly certain that Erwin would not mind. 

“Of course.” He said immediately, confirming Levi’s suspicions. “Should I pick up dinner on the way home, or-”

“I’ll cook.” Levi interrupted him, not willing to eat Erwin’s beloved take-out two days in a row no matter the situation that he was in.

Erwin was completely agreeable to that suggestion though, of course, humming in contentment and kissing the top of Levi’s head. “Alright. If you need me to pick up anything for it, let me know. Do you want to see your mother again afterward?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. We’ll eat, and then I’ll take you.”

Once that was decided, Erwin finally disappeared into the bathroom, and Levi dragged himself out of bed so he could go brush his teeth. It wasn’t that late but he was tired and wanted to sleep, and after getting ready he crawled back underneath the covers with Erwin next to him. He drifted off while Erwin read with the light on, and woke up the next morning when his alarm started blaring.

Groaning, he cracked his eyes open when Erwin stirred and moved to get up, looking out the window to see that it was barely light outside. Erwin had to get up to go to work, of course, but he did not, and with that realization he immediately rolled over and buried himself in the middle of the bed. He missed Erwin’s warmth and presence already, but he quickly fell asleep again until he felt Erwin pressing his lips against his cheek to tell him goodbye.

Levi mumbled something probably unintelligible in response, his only coherent thought in that moment about how Erwin smelled good - clean and fresh with a hint of cologne - and slept for a few more hours after that, enjoying being able to get up whenever he wanted to for once. It was his first complete day off in ages, and he was so unused to it that once he did get out of bed, he wasn’t exactly sure what to do with himself. 

The only thing he had to take care of that day was the issue with his exam, and after using his phone to send Mr. Dawk a quick email explaining what had happened, he got a response about an hour later telling him that he would be allowed to retake it later that week. He was so relieved he texted Erwin to let him know, to which he replied “ _ Good. If he hadn’t let you, I was going to tell you to tell him to call your lawyer ;-)”  _ a joke that Levi rolled his eyes at even as he bit back a smile. 

After that Levi ate breakfast and thought about what he was going to cook for dinner, deciding on a seafood risotto after browsing through some recipes on his phone. By now he’d learned a lot about Erwin’s tastes and preferences, of which there actually were not many exceptions. He didn’t like broccoli, Levi had discovered, and he hadn’t been too fond of the blue cheese he’d put on the steaks he’d made once as a topping. Other than that, he’d eaten everything else Levi had made for him with great gusto, but as he’d told his mother, spaghetti was his absolute favorite. 

Levi had made that for him at least once a week since the first time, and he always ate so many servings of it Levi that often wondered where the hell it was all going. Erwin was a big man, but the amount of food he could put away was impressive even for someone his size. Not that Levi was complaining or anything like that, though, because he saw it as a compliment. Erwin praised every meal he prepared for him, but watching him devour it was what made him feel good the most. 

It had made him enjoy cooking again, he’d realized, so much so that he found himself wondering why he’d ever stopped. He actually knew why, of course, but now it seemed almost unfathomable in comparison to the inspiration he had for it again and the urge to try so many new things. It helped that Erwin had a fancy kitchen, and that was the place Levi found himself in for most of the day, going through Erwin’s pantry and fridge to make sure he had everything he needed for the meal.

It looked like he did with the exception of some fresh herbs, which Erwin told him he would get on the way home after Levi texted him about that too. After that, he prepared what he could and ate a quick lunch, and then watched television on Erwin’s couch before calling Hange to see how his mother was doing.

She was a lot better, apparently, and although she'd had some minor episodes of forgetfulness that day, it had been nothing like before. She remembered meeting Erwin, and when Hange said she wanted to talk to him Levi braced himself. 

_ "I like Erwin." _ Was the first thing Kuchel said though, a smile in her voice _. "He's so handsome. Where did you meet him?" _

"The library." Levi said immediately, blurting out the least offensive place he could think of on the spot, because there was no way he was going to tell his mother that he’d met him after placing an ad on Craigslist. 

_ "He was very polite. Did he bring you back here after you left?" _

'After you ran away' is what his mother meant, Levi was sure. Or maybe that was his own guilt talking. Either way, his mother was no longer upset about it, because the high lilt in her tone at the thought of Erwin bringing him back apparently pleased her, and it made him remember how she'd thanked Erwin for taking care of him. He could take care of himself, of course, but naturally his mother would be happy - and he supposed, relieved considering her own guilty feelings - that someone else was there for her son when she couldn’t be. 

"Yeah." Levi told her with that in mind. "He left work to meet me at his place, and then he brought me back. We're coming there again later, okay mom?"

_ "Alright. I'm happy for you, Levi. Don't do anything stupid to make him leave, got it?" _

At that, Levi rolled his eyes. Like hell he would, but he was pretty sure if Erwin wasn't gone by now after meeting Kenny, there was a lot he could handle. "Yeah, mom. Bye."

Their conversation ended after that, and by mid-afternoon he’d grown restless and felt like he needed to be doing something besides lounging around, and decided to do something he’d been wanting to do since he’d practically fucking met Erwin: clean his apartment.

He’d straightened up a couple of times when he’d been over here and there, but he’d never had time to go through the entire place. The cleanest Levi had seen it had been on their first meeting and it had just gotten steadily worse since then, which let him know Erwin had only picked up at the time because he didn’t know Levi and wanted to make a good impression. By now, if the fucking mess it had become said anything, Erwin was clearly comfortable enough around him to not worry about it. 

It was a good thing, but Levi hated clutter and dust, and if he was going to be staying there more often he had some work to do. He didn’t actually mind because he enjoyed cleaning, and started with the bathroom, working his way through the bedroom and the kitchen in a few hours. By the time he reached the living room and finished that, there was only one spot left: Erwin’s abandoned desk in the corner, piled high with papers and books and other things. It was a daunting task, and after glancing at the clock, Levi saw that Erwin would be getting home from work soon. 

Deciding that he would just straighten the area up quickly and be done with it, Levi arranged the books neatly and thought about the pleased expression that would surely be on Erwin’s face when he got back and saw how nice his apartment looked. He mused about how Erwin had talked the day before about how he wanted to take care of Levi, and in doing this and feeding him, Levi had found that he liked doing the same thing, just in different ways. 

It was right as he was thinking for the hundredth time that he couldn’t believe how lucky he’d gotten with Erwin that he saw the picture, after realizing he was actually happy and content in at least one aspect of his life as he opened a drawer in Erwin’s desk to place some papers inside.  

Immediately, the thing caught his eye because it was so big, barely fitting inside where it had been shoved into the small space haphazardly and leaving no room for the documents in his hand. Frowning, Levi went to move it, but then stopped a split second later when he caught sight of the people in the picture and realized just what the fuck he was actually looking at.

The man in it was Erwin, standing next to a blonde woman. She was in a wedding dress and he was in a tuxedo, and it was obviously a professional photo taken of the two of them. Erwin had his arm around her and she was smiling widely, beautiful and happy and practically sparkling in her  white gown.

_ What the fuck? _ Levi thought, narrowing his eyes at it, a horrible, sinking feeling spreading through his chest. It dropped into his stomach and made him nearly sick with panic, because he didn't understand what he was seeing, not at all, as Erwin had not mentioned being married before. He’d talked about being in a long term relationship with a woman, yeah, but he’d called her his ex-girlfriend and not his ex-wife, and after studying the photo for a bit, Levi thought that he didn’t look much younger in it than he did then. It couldn’t have been ages ago, and nothing about the decorations and what they were wearing in the picture suggested that it had been some kind of spur of the moment thing that he’d later regretted, ended quickly, and then been too embarrassed about or something to mention it to him.

Had Erwin lied about it? Had he purposely not told Levi he’d had a wife before? Why would he do that? It didn't make sense if he had been and they weren't together now, because what did it matter, unless-

Suddenly, staring down at the photo, Levi had a thought that made a sharp stab of pain go through his heart. 

Erwin wasn't married now, was he? What if he was and he was cheating on his wife with Levi? It seemed ludicrous because if he was, she obviously didn’t stay in this apartment with him. What if they just lived apart though, or there was something else fishy going on? Pondering it, Levi was suddenly reminded of a story he’d seen on some news program his mother liked, about people who secretly kept two different families at the same time, and who cheated and lied and took advantage of them both. 

Was that what was going on here? At the time he had thought it was ridiculous and like something that only a very unlucky person would get caught up in, but with his sudden bout of anxiety and shock, he began to wonder if it was true. Could it be, though? He wouldn’t have thought Erwin was the type to do something that sneaky, much less cheat. He was kind and caring and selfless and Levi trusted him, but then again, those people in the story had thought the same thing, hadn't they? It had seemed absurd until it wasn't because the person had been so good at hiding it, and although Levi didn't want to think that was the case here, he didn't know what else would explain this. If Erwin had been married, why hadn't he just told him?

Looking away from the picture with a cold, worrisome feeling in his belly, Levi's eyes drifted back down into the drawer. There, underneath where the picture had been, he saw the last thing he wanted to see: a small box, and inside it, a man's wedding band. 

"Fuck-" He choked under his breath, heartbreak filling him. 

Was all of this a lie? Had he actually been so happy based on something that wasn't even real? How could he have been so stupid, he-

It was at about that point that Levi heard a click behind him - the sound of Erwin’s door unlocking as he scraped the key inside of it. It signaled his arrival home from work, and he opened the door right as Levi turned around, walking and starting to cheerfully tell him hello before he saw what Levi was holding in his hands.  

"Oh." He said, his eyes going wide. He paused for a second while Levi just stared at him with a twisted expression of confusion and pain and shock on his face, and then dropped his briefcase and grocery bag, closing the door behind him and stepping towards him. "Levi, I can explain."

"What is this?" Levi said though, finding his voice and backing away. Erwin was reaching out for him, to take the picture from his hand, but Levi did not want to let Erwin touch him until he was sure he was wrong about his suspicions. "Who is this? Is this your wife? Are you married?!"

Erwin held his hands up once he realized Levi was upset, stopping in front of him and swallowing thickly. "No. No, I’m not married. I  _ was _ , but I’m not anymore. That's my ex-wife."

Cocking his head, Levi felt some relief fill him up, but the dread did not completely go away because he still didn’t understand everything. If that was the case and there was nothing shady going on, then why had Erwin hidden it? "Then why the fuck didn't you tell me?!"

"Because she's dead. She died, Levi. She passed away after we got married."

At that, Levi had another moment of intense shock, his eyes going wide and his heart nearly stopping in his chest, because oh,  _ fuck _ , had he just flipped out about Erwin's dead wife? He believed Erwin was telling the truth immediately - that made a lot more sense than what he'd been suspecting - and he suddenly felt so embarrassed and guilty for assuming the worst that his knees nearly buckled under him.

"Shit." He said though after somehow managing to get a hold on himself, setting the picture down onto the desk so quickly it might have burned him. 

He looked at the two of them in it - Erwin, who was apparently a widower, and his deceased wife - with a mixture of horror and realization, stepping back again like he had before when Erwin had tried to grab him. This time, however, when Erwin reached for him again Levi did not protest. Instead, he let Erwin pull him into his arms, slumping against him and pressing his face against his chest. 

"Shit." He repeated, his voice hitching. 

He didn't know what to say; his mind was a whirlwind. What did this mean? What had happened to her? How long ago had she died, and was Erwin still in love with her?

"We were married two and a half years ago." Erwin started though, one hand in Levi's hair and the other around his shoulders. Levi had just been standing still in shock, but a second later and he raised his arms gingerly, sliding them around Erwin's waist to tentatively hug him back. "About 6 months after, she got in an accident. She was in graduate school, in college like you, and she was riding her bike to class and got hit by a car. It didn't kill her, but her brain was damaged badly enough that she never woke up again. She was in a coma for 8 months before she, well...before it became clear that she wasn’t going to wake up, and before  _ I _ -"

"I'm sorry." Levi choked out into Erwin's chest, interrupting him before he could continue. 

He knew what he was about to say, that he'd had to let his wife go, to make the decision to take her off her ventilator or her life support or whatever because she was never going to wake up again anyway. It was awful, but even with that knowledge Levi wasn’t sure what he’d blurted the apology out for. Had it been for what happened to Erwin, or how Levi had acted? In reality it was both, because he was horrified by both, by the tragic way in which Erwin had lost his wife and by the way he'd assumed the worst about Erwin when he should've known better and when it had been something painful for him instead. 

Erwin hadn't been secretly married and dating him at the same time, he'd lost his wife in a horrible accident, one that hadn't killed her instantly but that had left her in a coma for months so that Erwin couldn't even get closure. Had there been hope that she would recover at first, Levi wondered? Had Erwin been forced to slowly come to terms with the fact that she wasn't going to wake up, and then have to make the decision on his own to pull the plug?

It seemed highly likely that was the case, and even if the details weren't exactly the same, it was just about one of the saddest fucking things Levi had ever heard. They'd only been married 6 months, Erwin had told him, likely still in newlywed bliss with their entire lives ahead of them. Instead of spending their future together it had been cut short, and Levi was left standing there with his heart aching for Erwin after he'd soaked everything in. 

"I'm sorry." He said again, his eyes wide and staring into the cotton of Erwin's shirt. They were still wrapped in a tight embrace and Levi was almost afraid to move, as if he might cause Erwin even more pain if he did so. No, that wasn't it, but he wanted him to know he hadn't meant to get angry, that it had been a misunderstanding and he shouldn't have presumptively lashed out like Erwin had done something wrong - especially since...well, since Levi had kept his own secret from Erwin too. "I didn't know. I’m sorry. I-"

Erwin interrupted him with a light chuckle of all things though, sliding a hand up to cup the back of Levi's head. He tilted it up so he could see Levi's face, and Levi was reminded of how he'd done that the day before and of how they'd been in this position then too, only at that time it had been because of Levi's own troubles. Suddenly, he realized how similar Erwin's experience had been to what he was going through now, with the only exception that Levi's was more drawn out. Either way, Erwin clearly knew how to deal with loss, and Levi wondered if that was part of the reason he'd handled himself so well at the hospital the other day: he had long ago become familiar with it.

"I didn't tell you." Erwin said softly before Levi could say another word, smiling down at him, his eyes nowhere near as bright as they usually were. "I should have, I'm sorry. I wanted to. I'd actually planned on doing it when I asked you out, but that didn't go as I had planned, obviously. I didn't think it was a good time to bring it up when you were upset about your mother so I decided to wait, but I wish you hadn't found out this way. I'm sorry if you thought something else, or if-"

"No, I was acting like an asshole." Levi muttered, biting his lip. "And anyway, I did the same thing. I didn't tell you about my mom. I get it. It's shitty to talk about. So I'm sorry."

"Alright. Well, just so you know, I would never-"

"I know." 

Levi looked at the floor, at the wall beside him and at Erwin's chest, afraid to look him in the eye because he didn't want to see hurt or disappointment there from what Levi had almost accused him of. He felt like a piece of shit now, and Erwin feeling like he had to reassure him after apologizing for not telling him when Levi had kept his own painful secret from him too just made it worse. 

"I can leave if you want." He said then, quietly and with a frown because he wouldn't blame Erwin if he wanted him to go now if he'd hurt his feelings. 

"What? Why would I want you to leave?" Erwin said though, hooking a finger under Levi's chin so their eyes could meet again. "I want you here. With me, I thought I told you that. It is hard to talk about, you're right, but you didn't know. You did nothing wrong. You were cleaning, right, and that’s how you found it?"

“Yeah.” Levi said quickly, realizing that he hadn’t even explained that part of his discovery, and glad that Erwin hadn’t thought he’d been snooping or something.

“I thought so. It looks very nice in here.”

Levi didn’t know why, but those words more than anything made his eyes prickle with tears. Perhaps it was because it was such an arbitrary thing now after what Levi had just learned, but, of course, Erwin still somehow managed to thank him for it sweetly like Levi had done him some huge favor. It made him feel bad all over again, but this time when Erwin smiled at him, it was reassuring enough to help him swallow the urge he had in his throat to cry. After he planted a kiss to his forehead, Levi sighed and hugged him again, turning his head to look at the picture and at the woman in it next to Erwin whose life had been taken from her too early. She'd was beautiful, he thought, dark blonde and tall like Erwin. He must have cared about her a lot if they'd gotten married, and Levi considered her right then to be very lucky. 

"What was her name?" He asked quietly, looking at her smiling face next to Erwin's in the wedding photo.

"Her name was Marie." Erwin answered him, running fingers through Levi's hair. "She was going to be a teacher."

"And you loved her?" 

"Very much. Enough so that it took me longer than I'm willing to admit to get over what happened. But I am now, as much as I can be. I've found someone else." 

Erwin said that with enough warmth in his voice to make Levi lift his eyes to meet Erwin's again, and with a fond enough expression on his face so that Levi knew he meant him. 

"You're the first person I've seen since then." Erwin continued to explain, and suddenly,

Levi realized something. 

Erwin had first told him he'd never been on Craigslist before, and then followed that information up by saying he'd been looking for company and also that he'd been drinking. If Erwin hadn't seen anyone until him, Levi wondered if he'd made the decision to try to find someone before that, or if liquor had made him do it. Had he realized he was ready to date again before, or had finding him and falling for him been some kind of accident?

"Is that why you were really on Craigslist?" Levi asked, watching as Erwin took his palm in one hand and tangled their fingers together. 

"Yes. I was lonely." He answered, staring at their clasped hands, held between their chests. "I hadn't dated for a long time. I wanted to try, but I guess you could say I didn't really know where to go to meet anyone."

Erwin smiled a bit as he spoke, and Levi couldn't help cracking one of his own despite himself. Squeezing Erwin's hand, he pushed him backwards a few steps toward the couch until he sat down so Levi could crawl into his lap. He straddled him and wrapped arms around his neck, hugging him that way, and let his head rest on Erwin's shoulder. He wasn't trying to seduce him, he just wanted to comfort him suddenly, to hold him and be there to soothe his pain like Erwin had done for him the day before. 

Still though, Levi couldn't help but tease him a bit as he sat there because they'd gone past being upset and we're now talking calmly, sliding a hand down his chest to rest over where his heart was. 

"So you decided that an ad placed by a twink looking for a daddy was the best place to look?" Levi said quietly, a note of amusement in his voice. 

"Well, that was where the alcohol came in." Erwin responded. He'd wrapped his arms around Levi's waist and was rubbing his back, speaking from where he'd laid his chin on top of Levi's head.

Levi snorted, although he didn't find the scenario as amusing as he had previously. Now there was sadness behind it as far as he was concerned, because Erwin had told him he'd been lonely. How long had that been after his wife died, a year? No, it was far more than that, and the thought of Erwin being by himself all that time, even if he hadn't been able to move on yet, made Levi feel a cold pang of sympathy. He cared about Erwin enough for all of this to make him think he never wanted Erwin to go through something like that again, to make it better just like Erwin had said to him the day before, and with the steady beat of Erwin's heart pulsing mutedly against the palm of Levi's hand, he vowed to himself that as long as he was around and could help it, Erwin never would. 

Pressing himself to Erwin's chest, Levi slung his arm around his neck again and squeezed as hard as he dared, turning so that he could kiss him gently. Erwin seemed to melt into it, raising a hand to cup the back of Levi's head so he couldn't pull away, letting the pad of his thumb caress the line of Levi's jaw. They sat like that for a few moments just like that, kissing in the quiet of Erwin's living room, wrapped around each other tightly until Levi sighed and finally pulled away. 

He felt closer to Erwin than he ever had now, even after yesterday, and by the look in Erwin's eye he felt the same. They'd both learned very important things about the other in the past two days, and now that everything had soaked in, there was nowhere left for them to go but forward. It gave him a positive feeling despite the tragedy of their situations, and biting his lip, Levi supposed he should start moving their relationship into the future right then with dinner. 

"Did you get the herbs?" Levi asked him, kissing Erwin one more time and pushing strands of blonde hair that had fallen astray out of his eyes. 

"Yes." Erwin answered, leaning into the touch, letting his hand wander down to cup Levi's ass. 

That let Levi know he was alright if everything else hadn't, but he still scoffed, shifting a little to begin climbing off his lap before something suddenly occurred to him. 

"Your kitchen." He blurted, his eyes going wide as he realized the reason for all the fancy kitchen that had never been used, and the reason that Erwin had received them as gifts. "All that shit-"

"Wedding gifts." Erwin told him with a smile, eyeing Levi's expression of understanding. "Although, she was an even worse cook than I was, so neither one of us used any of it. I'm glad I kept it all though. It makes you happy, and I like watching you in the kitchen."

That made Levi flush more than he had when Erwin told him he thought he was falling in love with him, warmth and affection and gratification that he made Erwin happy flooding his senses, but then once again, it disappeared almost just as suddenly as it had appeared when he remembered the other weird shit in Erwin’s apartment. 

"I threw away your dead wife's stuff." He said with a dawning horror, sitting up so he could look Erwin in the eye, hoping that he wouldn't find any pain there. 

All of the bath stuff had been hers, and so had the shit in the drawer Levi had taken for himself the day before, and he'd callously suggested that they throw it out because he'd thought it had belonged to Erwin's living ex-girlfriend. He hadn't known and Erwin had already assured him anything he'd said was okay because of that, but he still felt a renewed sense of guilt at how he'd just tossed it like it was garbage while feeling satisfaction for it. 

"It needed to go." Erwin said though. He chuckled, and then smiled, and Levi relaxed again. "There's no reason for me to keep it here, and it wouldn't be fair to you. We're together now, Levi. I don't want you to ever feel like I care about you any less because of-"

"I don't feel like that." Levi said, interrupting Erwin.

He knew what he meant, that he didn't want Levi to think he was competing with the ghost of his dead wife or anything like that, but that thought had never crossed Levi's mind. Erwin didn't have to tell him for him to know that he would probably always love her in a way, but when looking back on what Levi had experienced in their relationship already, Erwin had done nothing to make Levi think that he was unable to commit. He'd told him as much too, and Levi believed him - he supposed allowing Levi to throw her things out had even been symbolic for him, in a way. 

"Good." Erwin said at his proclamation, patting his ass and smiling at him. 

Levi leaned in to kiss him one more time, lingering until suddenly, Erwin's stomach growled loudly and he pulled back to raise an eyebrow.

"What's for dinner?" Erwin murmured into the skin of Levi's neck then, asking with interest but making a put out face when Levi finally crawled out of his lap. 

"Seafood risotto." Levi answered, grabbing at the grocery bag to make sure its contents were indeed correct as Erwin had said.

"That sounds delicious. Can I help?" Erwin asked.

He watched Levi and then stood up to undo his tie, unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt to make himself more comfortable. He was still in his work clothes, of course, and although he'd offered to help, Levi knew him well enough to guess that by then he was likely itching to get out of them and into something more comfortable.

"No. I got it." Levi said, taking his herbs into the kitchen to get started.

Erwin disappeared for a while and then came back while Levi was preparing the shrimp for their risotto, pouring himself a glass of something strong and amber colored while he got Levi some wine. He was wearing jeans like Levi had suspected he would be, a more comfortable, looser shirt on instead of his stiff button down. Levi knew that had they not been planning to visit his mother after this he'd be wearing sweatpants and nothing else, and almost mourned that they had to go while he cooked. Erwin's dick in sweatpants had always been one of his favorite things to think about. 

"Smells good." Erwin told Levi while he imagined it, sipping his drink and coming up behind him to kiss his cheek.

Levi was sautéing the shrimp by then and preparing to cook the risotto, almost unconsciously leaning into the brief touch of Erwin's lips while he did so. 

"You should open a restaurant." Erwin said idly, sneaking a taste of the sauce Levi had simmering in a separate pan too before he could stop him. "I don't think you need to go to culinary school. You already know how to cook."

"Yeah. But I'm not a trained chef. That's the whole point." 

"So? If you opened your own restaurant it wouldn't matter. It'd be your restaurant to do with as you pleased."

"Okay." Levi said then, rolling his eyes. "I'll go right down and open one tomorrow."

At his sarcasm, Erwin laughed, sneaking a grope to Levi's ass before he went to set the table.

"It was just a thought." He said, smiling. "Bowls, or plates?"

"Bowls." Levi answered immediately, his attention never wavering from what he was doing over the stove although in the back of his mind, Erwin's restaurant comment lingered even as he worked.

It wasn't like he'd never had that thought before, but if he couldn't go to culinary school because of his mother he couldn't open a restaurant either. In fact, that was potentially even more expensive than culinary school, and it wasn't like he knew how to run a business. 

Except, wait, wasn't that the type of thing he was currently in school for? 

"You'd probably be able to manage it with what you're learning in college." Erwin said from behind him while he arranged the bowls and silverware, as if he had somehow just read Levi's thoughts. 

It was just an idle comment from him, but it kept Levi from dismissing the idea as quickly as he would have before. He knew how to cook enough to probably come up with a menu - he'd daydreamed about it and done it enough times for fun before - and theoretically, he  _ had _ learned a decent bit about management from his classes by then even though he hated them. It was a thought, but still, that required money and a whole lot of shit Levi probably didn't have. Besides, it was too much of a risk. If he did and it failed, who would take care of his mother? 

Perhaps one day he could try it, Levi mused, but not now. 

"Maybe." He said simply, shrugging after a moment as he got back to preparing dinner. 

It was finished shortly, and after serving Erwin, Levi helped himself, nodding when Erwin praised the dish appreciatively as he usually did.

"I'm a lucky man." He mused while eating it, humming in contentment and enjoyment as he chewed. 

Levi thought it was good too, and was proud enough of it that he decided to bring any leftovers to his mother. He was, of course, mindful of what had happened the last time he did so, but after the day before, that kind of memory slip didn't seem so bad in comparison to Kuchel not remembering who he was. He felt a small stab of anxiety thinking about it, fearing that it would happen again when they went to visit her that night. If Hange was right, it shouldn't, but he couldn't help but worry about it anyway, the memory of how badly it had hurt him resurfacing almost immediately. 

It made him think about Erwin's wife too though, unable to help comparing their two situations again. Erwin's had been worse in the regard that he hadn't even really gotten to say goodbye. His wife had been in an accident and immediately rendered unconscious; the next time Erwin had seen her, she'd been in the hospital in a coma and had never woken up again. Levi imagined him getting a call like he had, rushing to the hospital to find his wife on the brink of death and unable to regain consciousness. Levi's mother hadn't remembered who he was when he got there, but at least she had been alive and awake, he reasoned. In a way he  _ was  _ getting to say goodbye to his mother, but he wasn't sure if slowly watching her lose herself to her disease was better or worse than having her be gone in an instant. 

Both were shitty, he reasoned, and probably not worth trying to compare. It didn't matter what was worse. What did matter was that Erwin had been through something similar, and that alone made Levi feel like they could relate. It was probably not something he should necessarily consider a good thing given the circumstances, but it did make him feel closer to him like he'd thought before, and a little more comforted and less anxious because if something did happen, Erwin would be there and he would know how Levi felt. 

He had no doubt about it, considering that Erwin had picked up on his silence and what he was probably thinking about in the past few seconds, because he'd reached across the table to grasp Levi's hand. He let his fingers rest on top of the backs of Levi's, and gave him a small smile when he looked up at him. 

"Still want to go see your mom?" He asked, sitting back in his chair.

"Yeah." Levi answered, glancing at where their hands were touching now. He brushed his thumb over Erwin's, and nodded once more for emphasis. "I told her we would."

"And she doesn't mind me tagging along?"

"Are you fucking kidding? I'm pretty sure if I didn't bring you, she'd be pissed." 

Erwin laughed at that and went to finish his second helping of dinner, smiling at Levi as he took another bite. 

"I'm glad she likes me." He said. "I mean, for your sake."

"Yeah, well, she might not if she knew how we met. And that reminds me, if she says anything about it, I told her I found you at the library."

Levi thought Erwin was going to choke on the bite of food he was chewing at that, the short laugh he let out sounding like a cough.

"Okay." He agreed, his eyes bright with fond amusement. "We met at the library. In the self-help section. I was reading 'How to be a Daddy for Dummies' and you-"

"That's not funny. She might think you're talking about how to raise actual fucking babies, and then she'll start on that."

Erwin chuckled one last time at Levi's comment, squeezing his hand from where he still held it before letting go. It was a little funny, Levi thought even though he'd rolled his eyes, but more than that the comment made a thought spring up into his mind. 

It stuck with him through the rest of dinner and while they were cleaning the kitchen, with Levi loading the dishwasher and cleaning the sink next to Erwin who helped in between sneaking kisses. The thought didn't go away even after that, and when they had put on their shoes and jackets and were heading out the door to see Kuchel, Levi couldn't keep himself from asking the question he had formed. 

"Erwin." He said, stopping behind him before he opened the door. He bit his lip when Erwin turned around, suddenly a little worried that he had been doing something wrong this entire time. "Do you even like it when I call you daddy when we're fucking?"

He'd asked because Erwin's comment had made him wonder if he was even really into that sort of thing, especially with the knowledge he now had that Erwin had never been on Craigslist before. He was clearly experienced, but if he'd basically done all that on a whim, did it mean he'd ventured into that particular kind of weird, kinky shit before, or had it been the alcohol talking again?

It turned out that he was right about one thing, about the fact that Erwin hadn't been called that before and had just tried his luck. However, Levi was pleased to find out, it didn't matter. 

"Yes.” Erwin said in a low voice, bending to kiss him on the lips, lingering a bit as their eyes met and Levi watched him. “I do like it, even if I didn’t know I would have before.”

“Oh.” Levi said, finding that to be more endearing than it probably should be.

“Although.” Erwin continued, cupping Levi’s cheek and pressing their lips together again. “I like it better when we’re fucking and you say my name instead.”

If Erwin’s first statement had been charming, than that one was even worse. It was sweet and made his heart flutter for some reason, but caused heat to flare up inside him at the same time too. After practically throwing his arms around Erwin's neck so that Levi could keep kissing him, it was nothing short of a miracle that they managed to make it to the hospital later.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years, 3 months, and 12 days later, Levi was awakened in a manner that had long ago become familiar to him: tucked underneath Erwin, so closely that Erwin was practically lying on top of him, his arm and leg slung over Levi's back and thigh. It was like being in a warm, heavy cocoon, and Levi had been sleeping peacefully until he felt Erwin's lips tickling the back of his nape.
> 
> "Good morning." He murmured into Levi's ear when he stirred, kissing behind the lobe too, marking a trail along the side of his throat until he finally made a disgruntled sound at the attention. "It's your first day of culinary school."

Two years, 3 months, and 12 days later, Levi was awakened in a manner that had long ago become familiar to him: tucked underneath Erwin, so closely that Erwin was practically lying on top of him, his arm and leg slung over Levi's back and thigh. It was like being in a warm, heavy cocoon, and Levi had been sleeping peacefully until he felt Erwin's lips tickling the back of his nape. 

"Good morning." He murmured into Levi's ear when he stirred, kissing behind the lobe too, marking a trail along the side of his throat until he finally made a disgruntled sound at the attention. "It's your first day of culinary school."

Levi cracked an eye open and looked at the clock. Neither one of them had to be up for another hour, so what was Erwin playing at? "Yeah. And my jacket doesn't cover my neck, so quit that shit."

Against his skin, Levi felt Erwin smile.

"I won't leave any marks. Not there, anyway." He answered, moving his mouth to Levi's shoulder instead, sucking sharply as if to emphasize his point. 

His lips made a slurping sound and Levi flinched backwards, cursing when he felt the unmistakable hard press of Erwin's cock against his backside. It didn't surprise him; this was what Erwin was playing at, he actually knew, he'd just been trying to decide if he was ready to wake up or not. 

Today was his first day of culinary school as Erwin had said, something which he was both nervous and excited about. As a result of all the changes that had occurred in his life in the past two years - some positive and some negative - he finally felt secure enough to be able to go.

All his worries from before about it were solved for the most part, or at least, no longer at the forefront of his mind. He’d graduated business school around 10 months ago -  _ finally  _ \- and although he’d hated nearly every minute of it, he was a little more forgiving of his time there when his degree easily got him a new job as a restaurant manager. 

It wasn’t in the kitchen like he still wanted, but he’d never forgotten Erwin’s words from years back about how he could use business experience to open his own restaurant. Obviously, he couldn’t do that right now for a multitude of reasons, but it was a start, a strong step in that direction and certainly not a boring office job like Levi had always imagined he’d been destined for.

Also, it earned him a lot more money. So much money, in fact, that he no longer had to worry about paying his bills on time. It helped too that Kenny had found work, suspicious, vague, and shady work that Levi wasn’t going to ask about, but work nonetheless. It brought enough money in that Kenny could live in the house by himself, which was good, because Erwin had asked Levi to move in with him after he’d graduated. 

That was before he’d had his new job, but Erwin didn’t care about splitting bills or rent or things like that. He was going to have to pay it all regardless, he reasoned to Levi, and he wanted Levi living with him. Levi wanted that too even though he basically already lived there anyway by that point, as the collection of things he kept at Erwin’s apartment had grown from just basic toiletries to half his wardrobe and a good portion of the contents of his room. 

Most of the time he was only at his house when he needed to pick something up or when Erwin dropped him off there on his way to work because he had class, so it certainly didn’t take much coercing for Levi to accept Erwin’s offer. 

Once he moved in, it was like they’d never lived apart, and Levi enjoyed the routine they settled into easily. When Levi didn’t work night shift he would cook, every single night he could, and Erwin never ever got tired of it. Levi fell asleep in his arms every night and woke up beside him every morning, and didn’t have to miss his warmth too much when one of them had to get up because he knew that without a doubt, he would be back there again in a matter of hours. They went to the gym together sometimes and even went out of town on a vacation once, and by the time Levi had been hired at his new restaurant a few months later, he knew without a doubt that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Erwin.

Levi would even fucking marry him if he asked, even though he’d never admit it outloud or bring the subject up because of Erwin’s past. He knew Erwin loved him at least because they’d exchanged that particular confession a long time ago, and he didn’t worry that Erwin would grow tired of them living together either. He just wasn’t sure that Erwin wanted to get married again considering he’d already been once before, but even though he tried to convince himself that it was a stupid, silly notion anyway and he should be content with what he already had, Levi couldn’t help but long for it, just a little.

Right now though, that wasn’t on the forefront of his mind; culinary school was. The money he earned from his new job had made that possible, or at least, had made it more feasible. Erwin encouraged him to go and said he would help with the rest of the financing if Levi needed it, and although Levi still had worries about his mother, he eventually decided that it was worth a shot to apply.

Naturally, though, he got in, and then he had a real decision to make.

Kuchel had only worsened over the past two years, of course, and these days she was completely unrecognizable from the person she had been before. On only rare occasions would she know Levi or Kenny, and she couldn't remember any details of her former life even though she was now living in her old home. Hange and Levi had decided to move her back there when she could no longer live at the independent facility, thinking that she might be more comfortable and less anxious somewhere more familiar. Hange was hired as her private nurse and took care of her every need there, along with Kenny and Levi when they were around too. 

That didn’t stop her disease though, and although at first she had seemed a bit calmer and less depressed after moving back home, the worse her memory got the worse everything else became too. Now she was mistrustful of everyone and prone to hysterics on account of her constant confusion and the fact that even though she could not remember, she seemed to know that something was wrong with her and that it wasn’t normal for her to be like that. 

It was sad, heartbreaking and painful to watch over the years, and even though Levi never got as upset as he had the first time, he didn’t think he would ever get used to his mother not recognizing him when he visited her. At least she had gotten to meet Erwin and been able to get to know him a little before she got too bad, something which according to Hange, never failed to cheer her up.

The thought of Levi with him and happy made her happy, they said, and even though it was fairly obvious when they visited together, it was obvious other times too. If Levi came alone she would always ask where Erwin was and bombard him with questions about him and what they were up to, and apparently, when she began muttering to herself in greater frequency Hange reported that they often overheard her talking about them. 

That was the reason that finally helped push Levi into deciding it was alright for him to attend culinary school. He was worried that once he enrolled, with his new job and Erwin he would be too busy to see her that often. It didn’t matter that she didn’t know who he was, she was still his mother and he wasn’t going to stop visiting her. However, after thinking about it and about everything else that had happened in the past few years, he realized that his mother would want him to go. 

She wanted him to be happy, he knew, and he never forgot how she’d thought she was a burden on him because he couldn’t ‘act his age.’ She would be excited that he was going to learn to be a real chef, and proud of him, and Erwin had told him as much so Levi knew that he would agree. Once he decided to officially enroll, his only remaining sadness about it was from the fact that his mother wouldn't be in her right mind to understand it.

There was nothing he could do about it though, so he tried to focus on how much he was looking forward to it. He would finally get to learn from professional chefs, to be taught advanced techniques that Kuchel hadn’t been able to pass down to him, and to work in a  _ real _ kitchen - at least, while he was at school. At his job he would continue to deal with the business aspects of running a restaurant, and with both things happening, Levi actually felt fairly positive about his future for the first time in years.

It wasn't just in that aspect but in every other one too: professionally, personally, and, well, romantically too, as the fact that Erwin’s kiss still somehow managed to make his heart flutter. In turn that always never failed to make his cheeks redden, but he’d long ago lost any embarrassment that went with the reaction. 

Instead, he always just felt love and affection and happiness - and trust, too - and that was why rather than keep his face away from Erwin as he might have done in the past, Levi finally decided to turn around after Erwin had started kissing him that morning, huffing with false irritation as he shifted his head until he was lying nearly nose to nose with him. He wound his arms around Erwin’s neck lazily and drew a leg over his hip while Erwin remained still and watched him, and then looked him in the eye and spoke.

“You have 45 minutes.” He pronounced, shortly before Erwin closed the distance between them by sliding an arm underneath Levi’s shoulders and tugging him forward.

Their lips met and Erwin kissed him sweetly, his mouth gliding over Levi’s in a continuous slow, warm press that made him practically melt into his embrace. Levi could feel him smiling, although it faded after a moment with focus once Levi arched to align himself with Erwin, winding his fingers into his hair, opening his mouth pliantly, and returning whatever Erwin gave him with his lips twofold.

It became more heated quickly after that, and it wasn’t long before Erwin was pushing Levi over onto his back, climbing on top of him and nudging a knee between his legs so he could settle between them. He pushed Levi’s arms over his head and mouthed at his neck, sucking at the crook of it and letting his teeth graze over the spot - only lightly, of course. Then, he was going further instead of kissing his lips again like Levi had expected, pushing the oversized sweater of his that Levi had worn to bed to mark a trail down his stomach. 

There he did leave marks, tickling his belly button with his tongue just to make Levi squirm, and latching his mouth at the junction of one of Levi’s thighs so sharply that it made him gasp. He was breathing shallowly by then, watching Erwin’s slow, determined trail downward from underneath lidded lashes and wondering what he was planning. He’d thought they were going to get right to fucking given that they didn’t have that long, but Erwin seemed to have something else in mind, and Levi bit his lip, reaching for Erwin’s hair again with his fingers when he placed a teasing kiss over his cock, so featherlight that his lips were nothing more than a tickle and his breath a hot ghosting of air. 

It made him squirm though, and strain his hips upward for more. “What are you doing down there?”

“Making sure you have a good morning.” Erwin murmured from between his legs, mouth pressing against one of his balls now. It was hard enough to make Levi gasp lightly, the sound turning into a low, lucid sounding moan when Erwin sucked. “And a good rest of the day.”

Before Levi could discern what he meant, Erwin was kissing and licking a stripe along his perineum before slipping his tongue in between Levi’s ass cheeks. Immediately, Levi raised it into the air, spreading his legs wider and sighing, almost in bliss, when he felt the wet press of Erwin’s tongue against his hole more eagerly. He closed his eyes and curled his toes while the tip of it traced around his rim, rubbing at Erwin’s scalp with his fingers until suddenly, the pleasurable feeling disappeared.

“Turn over.” Erwin said, having lifted his head up from between Levi’s thighs, pressing a brief kiss to one as their eyes met before Levi moved.

He shifted and rolled over as fast as he could, settling onto his stomach with his arms shoved underneath his pillow and his face pressed against it, knowing like this, Erwin would have easier access. Indeed he did, and once Levi was still again Erwin spread his cheeks, laving his tongue over his entrance and mouthing at it with his lips, able to do it much firmer and less teasingly now that Levi was lying on his front. 

Even if he could get to him easier now, though, apparently Erwin was intent on making the most out of the time he had, because it seemed like an eternity before Levi felt the tip of his tongue breach him. He did everything but that in the minutes before, circling around his entrance, placing sucking kisses onto it and pushing against his hole just enough so that Levi could feel the pressure, just enough to make him think that he was going to slip it inside only for him to pull back at the last minute. It was slow and lazy, but enough to make Levi squirm and pant into the pillow, using his knees to try to push his ass back against Erwin's face eagerly for more. 

It felt good; the pleasure tingled all over Levi's flushed skin, stemming from what Erwin was doing to his nerves down there, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough. 

"Erwin!" Levi groaned when Erwin finally let himself taste him, his tongue finally pushing past the tight ring of muscle, but just barely. "Shit-"

His fingers had dug into the pillow he was hugging now as his entrance gave way for Erwin to flick his tongue inside him, pushing his ass into the air and leaving it there in the hopes that Erwin would keep going that like. He wanted to feel him deeper, his slick, wet tongue tickling his insides gently and lapping over his skin. Naturally, though, Erwin didn't, and to Levi's frustration, actually stopped completely.

"What time is it?" Erwin murmured, rubbing the scruff of his cheek against Levi's backside as he looked over his shoulder at him incredulously. 

"What?" Levi said breathlessly, his mind struggling to catch up with why the fuck Erwin was asking this when his ass was in his face. 

"How long do I have?" Erwin asked this time, nosing at Levi's crack and pushing his thigh up on the bed to spread him in preparation for more. 

Levi blinked, and then tore his gaze away to look at the clock, realizing that Erwin was asking because, of course, they didn't have all morning. 

"Twenty-five minutes." Levi gasped, the sound turning into a moan when Erwin dove right back in.  _ "Ah!" _

It was a sound of pleasure, because Erwin had lapped a long, hard stripe over his ass, but also concern, because was Erwin really going to take that entire time to finish him off? Levi thought he would die before then - already, his cock was aching - and how could Erwin stand it, for that matter? Actually, he wasn't surprised by now, because if it meant teasing Levi, he'd learned over the years, Erwin could ignore an aching cock, a jaw, or his fingers for far longer than Levi could. 

It wasn't any different now, and Erwin worked his tongue into Levi slowly and precisely and with focus, as calmly as if he was drinking a cup of tea and as if Levi wasn't sweaty and writhing on the bed above him. That didn’t mean Erwin wasn’t enjoying it too, because if Levi allowed himself to pay attention to anything else other than how good everything felt, then he was pretty sure he could feel the bed shifting in a way that meant Erwin was grinding himself against the mattress.

He wished he could see, but he was also busy trying to do the same thing. It was hard when Erwin’s fingers dug into his hips with a bruising grip, and when he also wanted to shove his ass against Erwin’s face too. He was so worked up by the time that Erwin finally had his lips pressed to Levi’s entrance and could fuck him with his tongue, he was trembling all over with the need for release, panting wetly into his arms and the pillow and whining unabashedly. Each slip of Erwin’s mouth over his hole made him flinch with pleasure as his stomach was taut with it, so tight that he was sure if Erwin even touched his cock once he would come.

That thought made him look at the time, a loud, sob-like groan leaving his lips when he saw that there was still 9 minutes left before the alarm was going to go off. 

“Erwin-” He whimpered anyway, a pleading note to his voice as he shifted as much as he could, his hips straining for more of Erwin’s mouth, for friction on his cock, for anything that might push him over the edge. 

“How much time?” Erwin murmured against his ass, pulling away just long enough to speak before he pushed his tongue all the way inside and mouthed at him sloppily. 

“Eight minutes.” Levi panted, twisting his head around to look at Erwin working behind him, immediately regretting it a second later because the sight of his flushed face between his legs was nearly just as arousing as everything else. “Erwin,  _ please,  _ you fuck-”

Levi knew that insults were likely to get him nowhere even if he was only teasing, but fortunately for him, Erwin had run out of time. 

Pulling away, he flipped a pliant and loose Levi over onto his back, wiping his mouth off before burying his face into Levi’s neck. He grabbed both their cocks in one of his big hands before Levi could even get settled, the sudden, firm touch and warmth from Erwin’s length pressed against his making him cry out and arch. 

Erwin kissed and nipped at his neck delicately and started moving like that, and once Levi joined his rhythm, his thighs trembling from the effort, it only took a few rolls of his hips for him to come. He moaned loudly and clutched at Erwin’s neck, shuddering through the intensity of it as all his muscles tightened pleasurably and then released. He spurted all over his chest and stomach and Erwin’s hand, the slickness making it easier for him to rub their cocks together. It was still a few more minutes before he caught up and finished too, groaning into the crook of Levi’s neck while he trembled beneath Erwin from the stimulation.

He’d wrapped his arms around Erwin by then and held him still while they both caught their breath, their sweaty foreheads pressed together as they gazed at each other in silence. Then Erwin rolled off him and kissed him on the cheek, murmuring that he loved him in a voice that had Levi grabbing him to press their lips together, despite where Erwin's face had just been moments ago.

“How much time is left?” Erwin asked when they pulled apart, a question that Levi rolled his eyes at before he glanced over to the clock.

Before he could answer that there was one minute left, however, the last few seconds ticked by and the alarm started going off. Erwin laughed while Levi reached over to stop it, returning to his arms for just a few more minutes before he would finally have to get up or risk being late.

“I just made it.” Erwin pronounced, apparently proud of himself for dragging out Levi’s torture until the very last minute. 

“Yeah.” Levi muttered, scowling even as he rested his head in the crook of Erwin’s arm. “I don’t know what the fuck you were doing down there though.”

“Maybe I was just getting you warmed up for later.” Erwin responded, pressing a kiss into Levi’s hair. “After all, we should have plenty to celebrate.”

Levi raised an eyebrow at that, unsure of what else they would have to celebrate besides his first day at culinary school, and really, was that something they needed to make a big deal out of anyway? They’d celebrated when Levi had gotten accepted with a big dinner and wine, and then again when he'd made the decision to actually attend. Were they going to celebrate every time he got home from class, too?

Whatever, he thought though, deciding that if Erwin wanted to spend extra time in bed with him that night he wasn’t going to protest. These days they were both busier than they’d used to be, as Erwin had changed law firms in the past year too and ended up working more. With Levi in culinary school that was only going to get worse, and he was going to take advantage of whatever free time he had to spend with Erwin that he could. 

With that thought in mind, Levi tugged him out of bed and into the shower so they could wash up together, letting Erwin shampoo his hair while he held onto him and soaped up his back. After they were done they both got dressed, with Erwin putting on his suit and tie for work, and Levi pulling out his brand new, never before worn chef’s jacket. 

It was grey and had his name stitched onto it and everything, and although as far as he understood it, the instructors would all be wearing white ones, it was the first time he’d had one like this before. It fit perfectly and he had pants to match, and a brand new set of fancy knives that Erwin had given him as a gift a few weeks before to bring with him. 

Erwin smiled while he did his tie and watched Levi putting it on, walking over to help him do up the last button at the top. 

“You look like a real chef.” He said, tracing over the button with his thumb as Levi side-eyed himself in the mirror. 

He had to admit, it didn’t look bad, and just wearing something like this filled him with a swell of excitement. He almost couldn’t believe he was actually going, he thought, swallowing, because a few years ago he would have never imagined that he’d ever get too, at least not this soon. He knew he wouldn’t be going without Erwin’s encouragement, however, and at the thought, he bit his lip and looked back over and up at him.

“Why don’t you look in the pocket, there?” Erwin asked before Levi could say anything, gesturing to one of the front pockets in his chef’s jacket.

Frowning in curiosity, Levi stuck his hand inside and immediately felt something, small, round, and metal. It was tiny and it had a hole in it, smooth and cool to the touch and almost...wait, it was almost like a-

Levi realized what it was as he was pulling it out to hold in the palm of his hand: a ring. It was shiny and white gold, a thin band that was small enough to fit around one of his fingers. It made his eyes widen and his heart nearly stop in his fucking chest, because was Erwin proposing? Is that what this was?

“Erwin-” He started, preparing himself to ask but unable to tear his eyes away from the ring until Erwin took his hand to interrupt him.

“Levi. I love you.” He answered, clearing his throat. His cheeks were pink, Levi saw when he looked up at him, and although he spoke quietly as if he was suddenly nervous, his eyes were bright. After pausing to make sure he had Levi’s attention, he tightened his grip on Levi’s fingers and knelt. “Will you be my husband? Will you marry me?”

For a moment, Levi was silent, unable to hear anything else but his pulse pounding in his ears except for Erwin’s words, echoing in his head. He repeated them to himself over and over again because he was almost convinced he hadn’t heard him right, and half expected Erwin to not be kneeling in front of him with the most earnest expression on his face Levi had ever seen when he blinked. 

But Levi did, and Erwin still was, and he forced himself to nod because he was afraid that he couldn’t speak and he didn’t want Erwin to think he was refusing him. That was absolutely not the case, of course, because Levi had fantasized about this moment far more than he would ever admit to anyone, much less himself. 

“Are you sure?” Erwin asked, smiling and taking the ring before sliding it on Levi’s finger even as he spoke. “Do you really want to be tied down to an old man like me?”

At that, Levi found his voice, because now Erwin was just being ridiculous. “Yes, you idiot. You’re the only one, Erwin. You’re-”

Stopping himself, Levi flushed, because warmth and happiness were building in his chest, so strongly that he didn’t trust himself to speak anymore. Instead, he halted his words, and a second later practically launched himself into Erwin’s lap. He fell down against him and straddled his bent knees, throwing his arms around him to kiss him as enthusiastically as he perhaps ever had. It took Erwin by surprise enough so that he nearly fell over backward, but caught himself with one hand while wrapping the other around  Levi’s waist. 

They stayed like that for a few minutes, just kissing and holding each other tightly, until Erwin pulled away with something that sounded like an overwhelmed, but happy and breathless laugh.

“Now look in my pocket.” He said, taking Levi’s hand and sliding it down his chest to the front pocket in his suit jacket. 

Levi raised an eyebrow, wondering what the hell else Erwin could surprise him with, but found another ring completely identical to Levi’s, except that it was big enough for one of Erwin’s fingers. 

“I have one too. I thought it was only fair.” Erwin explained, holding up his hand for Levi to slip the ring on his finger too. 

“Are you sure you want to be tied down to a shitty kid like me?” Levi mumbled as he put it on gladly, more teasing than anything at this point. 

After all, if Erwin didn’t want to be with him, the last thing he would’ve done is proposed. Vaguely, Levi realized that this was what he’d meant earlier when he’d commented about celebrating, and felt his heart hammering in excitement. Just how long had Erwin been planning this?

“Of course.” Erwin assured him, sweeping Levi’s fringe away so he could kiss him softly. “A few years ago I thought I would never be happy again, you know. But you changed all that. Thank you.”

Erwin’s words made Levi flush hotly, his first instinct to call Erwin a ‘sappy bastard’ because of all the emotion he felt welling in his chest. But then he realized he felt much the same, as he had met Erwin at a time when he was alone and struggling with everything that was going on in his life. Now, though, that had all changed, and after swallowing thickly, Levi wound his fingers together with Erwin’s and pressed his face against his neck.

“Me too.” He mumbled, placing his free palm over Erwin’s cheek. Then, with thoughts of how this had all started racing through his mind, Levi could not help but say the one thing that would never fail to have a special meaning between them: “Me too, daddy.”

Erwin let out a loud peal of laughter at that, sliding backwards onto the floor with Levi in his arms. He was going to mess up his suit, Levi thought, but he was too busy nearly smiling himself at what he'd just said to chide him. The term had almost become like a joke to them at that point - although, of course, Levi still called Erwin that in the bedroom when he was in the mood for such things - because it would never not be amazing that he was in a loving relationship with a man whom he'd met on Craigslist.

A man who had changed his life completely, he thought happily, and who he was now going to marry.

Levi felt Erwin kiss the top of his head again a moment later, still smiling, and then they were standing up, Erwin planting his lips over Levi’s one more time before they left the room. It was time to go, and Erwin had planned on driving Levi to culinary school that day. While in the car, he couldn’t help but reflect on what had just happened, and although he was beyond elated, he only wished that he could share it with his mother. 

At this point that was impossible though, so he would have to take comfort in the fact that he knew she would be happy if she was capable of understanding. Perhaps they could stop by that evening and tell her anyway, Levi thought, and he supposed Kenny too, and somewhere, somehow, it would all manage to make her glad in some way anyway.

"Erwin." Levi started, biting his lip and looking down at where Erwin held his hand in the car like he always did. "Do you think we could see my mom tonight?"

"Of course. Whatever you want." Erwin said, giving him a small smile when Levi glanced at him.

He looked away from the road long enough to kiss the ring on Levi's finger, and then back, and they were silent until Erwin dropped him off when they said their goodbyes and I love you’s. That night, Levi took the bus to his old house after school and Erwin met him there once he got off work, and Levi made them all a quick but delicious dinner in the kitchen. 

Hange ate with Kuchel in the other room while Levi, Erwin, and Kenny ate at the table. Kenny reacted to the news with his own kind of special elation, because he and Erwin ended up getting along well after their initial meeting. In fact, Levi might even call them friends, and it was just something else Levi would always be confused about. He chalked it up to the fact that they both had a fondness for terrible, shitty jokes, or maybe Erwin just had some kind of magical power to charm everyone in his family that Levi didn’t understand.

“Great job, shrimp!” Kenny exclaimed once he saw the rings, a wide, terrifying grin on his face as he planted a beer in front of Levi in congratulations. “Have one on me.”

Then, he turned to Erwin, and clapped him on the back so hard that even Levi winced. “You’re gonna be an Ackerman now, bigshot. I’m pretty proud, I gotta say.”

Erwin just smiled while Levi rolled his eyes, because he was pretty sure Erwin wasn’t going to change his last name to Ackerman. Either way, he hadn’t even thought about that and didn’t really care about it right then, because honestly, his mind was on Kuchel. It was enough to distract him from dinner, causing him to just mindlessly pick around on his plate while Kenny and Erwin ate and bantered.

She had seemed restless when they’d gotten there - something that happened a lot in the evening, for whatever reason - and he hadn’t even been able to say hello. Hange had herded them into the kitchen so they wouldn’t make it worse, and as he understood it, they were doing their best to calm her down and put her in a good mood before Levi spoke with her. Dinner usually helped because it was a distraction, he knew, and sure enough, it wasn’t long after they’d told Kenny that Hange stuck their head around the corner and gestured for Levi to come with them. 

Levi stood up at once and left his plate of food on the table, aware of Erwin’s eyes on him even as he continued to talk to Kenny. When he entered the living room, Kuchel had a tray that she was eating small bites from with Hange’s help, the remnants of a puzzle on another table nearby. She was in a recliner, and when Levi sat down in a chair beside her after Hange left to give them some privacy, she looked over at him a bit suspiciously.

It was always like that because she didn’t know him, and since he wasn’t there every day, every time he showed up it was like she was meeting a stranger for the first time. 

“Hello.” She said though, speaking to him first before he could open his mouth. That was unusual, and Levi forced himself to smile. “Hange says I know you. And that you have good news.”

“Yeah.” Levi started, his mouth hanging open as he had to stop himself from calling Kuchel mom. He’d never gotten used to not, but doing so these days just upset her or made her more confused. “I came over because I wanted to tell you something. Me and Erwin are getting married.”

“Who is Erwin?”

“My boyfr-my  fiancé .”

“Well, who are you?”

“I’m Levi.”

Levi spoke calmly during the exchange, trying to keep his expression soft and gentle even if on the inside, he felt numb with sadness. At this point he was so used to it that he barely noticed, though, and waited while his mother’s eyes unfocused when she heard his name. It always seemed to make her pause as if she knew it was something she should know, but in the end she just couldn't remember no matter how hard she tried. Sometimes it caused her to get upset and sometimes it didn’t, and as always, Levi braced himself just in case. 

Luckily, however, this time her newfound decent mood was apparently going to hold.

“I like that name.” She said a moment later, and the corner of Levi’s mouth twitched up into a smile. “Weddings are nice. Are you going to invite my son?”

At that, it was Levi’s turn to pause, eyeing his mother who didn’t even know who she was talking to or what about, really. At least she remembered she had a son this time, he supposed, even if she didn’t realize her son’s name  _ was  _ Levi and that she was sitting right across from him. 

"Yeah." He said eventually, because it was useless to try to explain. "Yeah, he'll be there."

Again, Kuchel’s eyes unfocused and she turned to look down at her lap, frowning as if she was chasing some forgotten memory. "I hope he's happy. I’m afraid I lost him. I-"

"He is happy.” Levi said immediately, interrupting Kuchel because this was something she had said before. On an impulse, he reached over to take her hand - the one that was resting on the edge of her recliner - and hoped she didn’t get upset or angry. She didn’t, thankfully, and although she didn’t look at him either, after a moment he felt her frail fingers tighten around his. “And you didn’t lose him. That’s impossible.”

Kuchel nodded her head but otherwise, didn’t respond, and after a moment Levi let go of her hand and slumped back into his chair. She had started picking at her blanket and mumbling, and he had a sense that whatever semblance of conversation they’d been having was now over. It was at that point that he saw Erwin, standing behind her at the entrance to the kitchen and just watching him, and Levi got up, walking over to embrace him when he saw that Kenny had left the room. 

“What did she say?” Erwin asked softly, hugging him as the both of them eyed Hange when they passed to bring Kuchel a cup of tea. 

“She said she hopes we invite her son to the wedding.” Levi mumbled, not surprised when Erwin smiled and chuckled a bit. 

It was sad that she didn’t understand that her son was the one getting married, but it was also kind of amusing despite everything, because Levi was certainly planning on showing up to his own wedding, whenever that was going to be. 

As it turned out, it took place just over a year later, in a small ceremony that included just immediate friends and family. They'd waited until Levi had graduated from culinary school to even start planning, but had been so impatient by that time that they didn't bother having a big celebration. Erwin had already done that once in his life and Levi didn't care - after everything and all those years, all he wanted was for Erwin to officially be his husband.

When it happened he felt elated, unable to stop himself from smiling when Erwin kissed him at the end of the ceremony. They interlocked hands and stayed that way during the entire reception, and afterward, Erwin drove Levi out to a small graveyard, just so that he could place a single flower from their wedding decorations over a recently carved gravestone that read ‘Kuchel Ackerman.’ He did it without shedding a single tear and with Erwin behind him, still in his tuxedo with his arms wrapped around Levi's waist for silent support

“She would be happy.” He said to him quiet after a moment, a statement to which Levi nodded.

He bit his lip and turned around, taking Erwin's hand in his - the ones with their new rings - and squeezed it. “I know. So would Marie.”

Erwin's smile in response to that was as grateful as it always was, relieved that Levi accepted that part of his past even after all these years. It was enough so that Levi nearly felt a twinge of sadness for him, because what kind of person wouldn't? However, he was too glad that day for anything to ruin it - even all of this. It was because he knew that even though he'd lost his mother he would always have Erwin, and that whatever the future would bring too he would never be alone. It was a comforting though, and so, after taking a deep breath and pausing for one last moment to silently say goodbye to his mother, he gripped Erwin's hand tightly and pulled him off, exiting the graveyard with him so that they could drive off to start their new lives together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, its done :) I just want to say one last thank you to everyone who has read this story, commented, shared it, left me kudos, or anything like that! I know I say it nearly every update, but the response and support I've gotten has been overwhelming to me this entire time, and I'm very grateful for all of you. I'm a bit sad that it's ended, but I hope that the epilogue was satisfying enough so that no one else had to be :P Much love to you all. <3
> 
> edit: now with another beautiful [piece of fanart](http://wheniseelevimyheartgoesdokidoki.tumblr.com/post/139251922094/he-did-it-without-shedding-a-single-tear-and-with) by mikoto!

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos appreciated, thanks for reading <3


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